


Mixing It Up

by Lunaandtwilight07



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Affairs, F/F, F/M, Group Sex, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Love, Multi, Outlawqueen - Freeform, Romance, Slow Burn, StableQueen - Freeform, Swingers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-05 09:40:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 81,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13385136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunaandtwilight07/pseuds/Lunaandtwilight07
Summary: Robin Locksley's life was pretty simple, in most respects, he considered it normal, that was until his girlfriend suggested that they try something new in the bedroom, something that could lead to a whole other world of opportunities.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had to move this fic here because apparently smut is not allowed on FF.net. Anyway, now it's here for you all to enjoy! Much love! :)

Robin Locksley's life was pretty simple, he considered himself a normal man, in most respects. He had a girlfriend and dreamt of settling down to raise a family, it was just an everyday aspiration, nothing to write home about.

He had been with his girlfriend Marian for about two years now, he'd thought they were happy, but apparently, she was missing something in her life, something completely unexpected. Not in a million years had he imagined that he would be in this position, never, ever; it was just something that hadn't run through his mind, well, of course, he had thought about things like it, but not imagined that it would be happening to him.

He thought she had been happy, thought that she had been satisfied with the world they had created for themselves, seemingly they were on very different pages about what they wanted. It seemed rather strange and out of the blue, like she had just come up with this out of nowhere, as though something had changed her, he didn't know what it was, or who it was, but it was weird, very weird.

At that precise moment, he was stood in a stranger's bathroom running his hands over his face and trying to stall for as long as he possibly could, mainly because he wasn't so sure that he could do this, that he could go along with it, even if it was what she wanted. Maybe she desired it, but did he? He wasn't so sure, he wanted simple and this, this was far from it, far, far from it. The moment she'd asked him was a surreal experience and he hadn't been sure that he had heard her right, but apparently, he had…

_Robin dropped down next to her, trying to catch his breath and come down from the high they had just reached together, he turned his head to look at Marian and she ran her hand up his arm, a soft smile coming onto her face as he pushed her dark hair behind her ear. She moved her whole body so that it was facing towards him as she leant on her elbow. "That was good," she stated, her voice quiet._

_He furrowed his eyebrows, she didn't sound very enthusiastic about it, what was wrong with her? "Hey, what is it?" He asked, tilting his head at her, trying to make out what she was thinking, but he couldn't tell, not at all._

_"Nothing," she shook her head, "why would you think that something was wrong?" she shrugged, not meeting his eyes, that was exactly why he was thinking that something was wrong._

_"Marian, come on, somethings up and I know it, tell me," he whispered, brushing his fingers across her cheek, "tell me," he pressed a light kiss to her lips, before pulling back to look at her again._

_"No, it's stupid and pathetic," she rolled her eyes, before taking a deep breath._

_"Marian?"_

_"Robin, it's fine," she shook her head, dropping back down to the pillow and staring at the ceiling._

_He still wasn't convinced, she was acting strangely, not like she usually would after they'd just had sex, it was confusing and rather concerning, but if she didn't want to talk about it that was fine, he wasn't going to push her, if she wanted to talk, she'd talk…_

_"Do you ever feel like we're doing the same thing over and over again?" She asked, breaking the tension that had been handing in the air. "Like maybe our sex is a little… I dunno… plain?"_

_He looked at her wide-eyed, wow, out of all the things he had imagined her ever saying, that was nowhere on the list, he thought their sex life was great, it wasn't as if they did the same thing every time, they mixed it up a little, trying different positions and they had even used handcuffs a couple of times, he didn't really know what else she could possibly be wanting from him. "Plain?"_

_"Okay, not plain but… boring."_

_"Boring, wow Marian, really piling on the compliments tonight," he scoffed, pulling further away from her as he played absently with the quilt cover, "anything else you want to add to that list?"_

_"Robin, come on, you know I didn't mean it like that," she sighed, "this is going really badly."_

_"What is? Wait, you already planned this before we had sex just now?" He asked, feeling slightly offended, was he really that bad? Were they really that bad together? Had his brain just been living in another realm where he thought he had been pleasing her? If so, why the hell hadn't she told him two years ago instead of waiting this long?_

_"Robin, it isn't you."_

_"Oh, it isn't? What is it then?" he questioned, maybe he was best stopping his brain from going into overdrive and listening to her explanation._

_"I was just wanting to… I don't know, try something new, I know it's stupid…"_

_Something new? Interesting, "like what?."_

_"Well, how would you feel about… adding a couple of new players to the game?" she asked, biting the skin around her thumb, the way she always did when she was nervous._

_"A couple of new players? I don't think I… oh," shit, what the hell was he supposed to say to that? How was he supposed to react? They were meant to be in a committed relationship and she wanted to invite people_ into _their bed? That was what it sounded like anyway, he didn't know how he felt about it, it was all just very, very strange. "I don't know about that one."_

 _"I knew you'd say_ that, _forget I said anything," she sighed, turning to face away from him._

_He bit the inside of his cheek and reached out to touch her back gently, he didn't know what he was doing, but if it was something she wanted, they had to at least talk about it, didn't they? "How do you even go about doing… that?"_

_"What swinging?" She turned back around again, her eyes meeting his._

_He closed his eyes and nodded, never in all his life had he imagined himself being a swinger, "yes."_

_"Well, I know that this guy I work with and his girlfriend are into it, but to be honest, I have no idea." She shrugged, "are you really even considering it?"_

_"I don't know, I suppose if its something you want."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah," he nodded, "so, this guy you work with, do you like him?"_

_"I suppose so," she grinned, tracing his shoulder gently, "why, do you think I should ask him?"_

_"How about, we talk about this some_ more _later and you tell me if its still something you want."_

_"Okay, I think I can work with that." ..._

Apparently, a month later it was still something she wanted, that was what had led him to be in this position in the first place. He still didn't know how to feel, it was an odd sensation knowing that you were going to sleep with someone other than the person you'd been sleeping with for two years, the only person you had been sleeping with for two years. He hadn't even met this other woman, sure he'd met her boyfriend, he was outside wooing Marian, which was totally weird to watch and quite infuriating if he were being honest.

Marian had said that this other woman was hot, but he didn't really know what he was expecting. The woman wasn't home yet, her boyfriend, Daniel his name was, had said that she was out getting supplies, he didn't know what that meant, but he sincerely hoped it meant she was only out grocery shopping and not for something that was totally far beyond anything he would even consider doing.

He looked in the mirror again and shook his head, maybe he could pretend to be ill and go home, or just stay in the bathroom all night and refuse to come out like a child who hadn't got his own way. He sorted his hair, making sure that he didn't look like a complete dork. What if he didn't like this woman? What if she didn't turn him on at all, what the hell was he supposed to do then? He was way too nervous and it was seriously making him feel weird, he went back to thinking about Marian again and how she wanted this, that it had been her idea, he really must have cocked his relationship up somewhere to find himself in this position.

Another deep breath later, he worked up the courage to leave the bathroom and just as he did, he heard the front door open and a melodic voice call out, "honey, I'm home."


	2. Meet Regina

He ventured further out of the bathroom, wanting to get a better look at her. He peered around the corner and saw a figure, she took off her coat and hung it on a peg behind the door. All he could see from the back of her was that she had dark hair that was quite a bit shorter than Marian's, cropped just above her shoulders where it flicked out a little. He skimmed his eyes over her body and closed them, she was hot, from behind he could see that she had an amazing figure, her black dress tightly fitted and ending just above her knees. She kicked off her heels and without them, she was quite small, it was cute really.

She turned around, her hair flicking as she did, he was about to move away when she spotted him and a smile came upon her face. In that very moment, he nearly forgot to breathe, she was stunning, ridiculously pretty, her eyes were dark and done up in smoky eyeshadow, whilst her lips were painted a bright red that his eyes just seemed to be drawn to. He looked up and cleared his throat, she simply laughed and shook her head, "hi."

"Hi," he nodded awkwardly, noticing the paper bags of shopping in her arms, "would you like me to assist milady?"

"Why not," she chuckled, handing him one of the bags before leading him into the kitchen, he followed behind her, trying not to stare at her ass, she had a sway to her hips that was incredibly alluring and he swore he had never been more attracted to someone from the moment he met them, which now he thought about it was terrible, he shouldn't be allowing himself to be so attracted to her, should he? He was with Marian and it felt almost like a betrayal, even if it had been her idea in the first place. "So, I don't think I caught your name," she stated, placing the bag down on the cream marble kitchen island, before turning to look at him again, leaning against it.

"Robin Locksley," he informed, putting the bag he was carrying next to hers, "and you are?"

"Regina Mills," she smirked, looking him up and down before shaking her head and clearing her throat, "I must say, the people Daniel brings home are usually a little more… bold."

"Bold?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, "meaning?"

"Don't worry," she sighed, "trust me, it's a refreshing change," she grabbed a couple of glasses out of the cupboard, "you seem to be quite the gentleman."

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, you're not staring at my breasts, that's always a great sign," she quipped, sighing deeply as she moved over to the side and opened a bottle of wine, pouring a glass for them both, before returning to him and passing him one, "dear, you really do look out of your depth," she brought the glass to her lips and took a deep swing, nearly downing half of it in one go, before placing the glass down on the table and closing her eyes.

He looked at her and frowned, she didn't look very happy, not really and he wondered if he were to blame, maybe she wasn't impressed by him, he wouldn't be surprised, she was a beautiful woman and probably wanted men that were bolder, but he didn't feel himself at that moment, how was he supposed to be himself? "Are you…"

"I thought I heard you come in," Daniel stated, coming into the room and kissing her on the cheek as she offered him a small smile, "okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm going to go and freshen up a little," she breathed, straightening up and moving past Robin before hurrying upstairs.

Robin ran his hands over his face, he didn't know why he was so bothered about this, about her not appearing to like him, he had been so caught up in the idea that he might not be attracted to her, that he didn't think that she might not like him.

"So what do you think?" Daniel asked, turning around, "she's quite something isn't she," he chuckled sipping some of her drink, his pale grey eyes watching as Robin drank from his own.

"We didn't really have much time to get acquainted all that well," he shrugged, placing the glass back on the counter, he already knew that she was someone special, but he wasn't going to say that to her boyfriend, what was he really supposed to say in that occasion? 'Yes, your girlfriends really fit, I'd love to hook up with her', he thought not. "But she seems lovely."

"She is," he agreed, "Marian is great."

"Yeah," Robin nodded, he just felt so awkward, like this really wasn't his scene, it was strange to have someone talk to him about his girlfriend, especially knowing what was going to happen later.

Regina slammed her bedroom door and dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed, he seemed like a nice guy, he really did, but she was sick of this life, she didn't want it anymore, she wanted normality. This had been going on for too long now and she just wished that she could have a normal relationship where her boyfriend wasn't bringing people home all the time. She wanted it to be just the two of them, happy and committed to one another, no one else; she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the act.

She hadn't had the best of days, so the last thing she wanted when she got home was a quick hook-up with a couple who had clearly never done anything like this before, it was obvious they weren't regular swingers. She took a shuddery breath and unzipped her dress, allowing it to pool at her feet as she looked in the mirror and sighed, she was exhausted, she ran a hand over her face and groaned, before undoing the clasp on her bra and dropping it to the side, followed by her panties.

Once naked, she slumped into the en-suite bathroom and turned on the shower, she needed to feel at least a little more refreshed if she was going to do this. She quickly grabbed a hair tie and made sure that all her hair was piled on top of her head before she adorned a shower cap to cover it. She washed herself quickly and got out again, wrapped up in a towel she stood at the sink and removed her makeup, before lightly applying a fresh layer, with some simple lip balm, there was no way she was going all out for this, she hadn't even known about it until four hours prior when Daniel had called her to say they'd be having company and to bring home some wine on her way back from work.

To be honest, she hadn't expected them to already be there, she wanted maybe just a few hours to herself, just a little time to relax or prepare; Daniel clearly wasn't thinking about that. She heard the bedroom door open and turned to look at it, rolling her eyes when she saw Daniel, "what?" she snapped, slapping her lips together making a popping noise as she placed the chapstick back in her makeup bag.

"Hey moody," he rolled his eyes, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, "what's up?" he asked kissing her neck lightly.

"What's up?" she mocked, "what's up is that I have literally just got home from work, Daniel," she scoffed, rummaging around for her mascara and coating her eyelashes in it gently.

"I know that, hello," he gave her a playful squeeze.

Regina closed her eyes and shook her head, "did you at least save me some dinner? I haven't eaten all day." After seeing his guilty reflection in the mirror, she glared at him, "unbelievable, well thanks a lot, Daniel," she pushed his arms from her waist, "you could have told me that you hadn't, I could've picked something up on my way home." What the hell was wrong with him? Why didn't he think about these things? She let out a heavy sigh and turned back to look at him, "shall we go get this over with?"

"Regina, what the hell is wrong with you today?"

"What the hell is wrong with me? Daniel, think long and hard about the number of ways you might have pissed me off today and get back to me on that one," she opened her wardrobe and found a black slip dress that wasn't as tight as the one she had been wearing earlier and came down to just above the knee. She pulled it over her head as she wandered out of the room and back downstairs.

Marian came into the kitchen and Robin was simply staring at the red lipstick mark on the wine glass, he traced it gently with his fingers, thinking about the woman whose lips had left that blemish on the glass, he'd barely talked to her before she had excused herself, but in the time he had seen her she'd expressed a large array of different emotions and it was almost as though they had been on the same page. Without her saying it and through using silence alone, he had worked out that maybe she didn't want this either, that she would rather be doing something different with her time.

"Robin?"

He turned to look at Marian and smiled, feeling the need to at least pretend to be remotely dealing well with any of this, she was wearing a short-sleeved blue dress and her hair was curled about her shoulders, reaching down to her collarbone. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, finding her hand.

"Yes, Daniel is so kind, did you meet the girlfriend?"

"Regina, that's her name."

"Of course it is, so?"

"She was…"

"Was she hot?" Marian asked bluntly, catching him off-guard somewhat, "I mean I've seen pictures of her in Daniel's office, but is she as hot as she looks in the photos?"

"I haven't seen the photos, but I'm going to guess at yes, she was stunning," he nodded, looking down and letting out a little sigh, before turning to glance at her, "you sure you still want to do this?" He was hoping that she would say no and they could leave this place forever; he would be able to forget about those amazing eyes that seemed to see directly into his soul and that deep husky voice that entranced him so much... who was he kidding? He knew he wasn't going to forget about her that easily, even after having been in the room with her for about ten minutes, he realised that she was someone he wanted to get to know further, even if it was just as a friend, which was, of course, all she could ever be to him, a friend. Friends with benefits by the way this night was going.

"Yeah, I am so up for this," she stated, looking extremely excited as she took his glass of wine out of his hand and had a long drink from it.

A sudden question came to mind, one that he should have definitely asked before now, he didn't know why he hadn't if he were being honest, "how does this work exactly?"

"Seriously?" Marian looked at him wide-eyed, "Robin, you're literally asking me this now?"

"Yes," he shrugged, "I mean where do we all…"

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to clean myself up a little bit," Regina stated walking into the kitchen and going to pick up her glass of wine, only to find it empty, she was actually going to kill Daniel when they were next alone, which was a fairly rare occasion. Clearing her throat, she walked over to pick up the bottle and poured some more into the glass. She turned to look at the couple who were staring at her and she had a feeling that she may have just interrupted something, "sorry, do you want a minute?"

"Would you mind," Marian cringed, "I'm Marian by the way."

"Regina," she nodded, moving past them to the fridge and seeing what she could grab to eat; finding that there was nothing, she rolled her eyes and grabbed an apple out of the bowl, "excuse me," she went to leave, flashing a look back at Robin. His blue eyes were watching her as she left and she couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach, she rose her eyebrows at him, before closing the kitchen door behind her.

"Marian," Robin shook his head. That had been an interesting moment, he couldn't keep his eyes off Regina, she just really intrigued him, everything about her, she was mysterious and he liked it, "I can't believe you just had her leave her own kitchen."

"Robin, we were having a discussion and unless you wanted the swinger to tell you how it works, whilst thinking to herself that you are a complete moron, then I could have let her stay, she was the one who suggested giving us a minute." She glared at him and sighed, "I can't believe you don't know how this works already."

"Well I know the basics and I am not a complete moron, I'm doing this for you Marian and I don't appreciate…"

"Robin, you fuck her, that all there is to it," she cut him off, taking his drink with her, before heading into the living room.

He already knew that part, but were they all meant to be involved with one another, did they do it at the same time or separately, surely it would be a little distracting having sex next to another couple who were also having sex, surely he'd lose his rhythm or concentration, probably both. His head was so messed up, he didn't know what to think anymore, he was just going to go with it and if he cocked it up, they didn't have to do it again, he wouldn't have to do it again.

Nodding, he followed after the two women, they were sat on the couch talking, Regina was eating her red apple, as she spotted him.

She smiled and beckoned him over to them, patting the couch in between her and Marian, "come, sit," she stated, dropping the remnants of the apple into her empty wine glass, before tucking her hair behind her ear. She wanted to get a closer look at him, he followed orders and sat down beside her, "I don't bite," she chuckled, stroking her hand over his shoulder gently, "unless you're into that," she smirked, seeing the rise of his eyebrow. She grinned at him as she looked at his face, he was more handsome than she'd first thought, he had a dorky naivety about him which made him more attractive in her eyes. His stubble suited him and she moved her hand up to touch it, gently stroking his cheek.

God, she was stunning and her touch was so tender, yet purposeful, she had a soft smile playing on her lips and that was when he noticed it, a rather prominent scar on her top lip, he immediately found himself wanting to know how she got it, but he didn't want to ask, that was way too forward. He felt Marian run her hands up his back as she placed a light kiss on his neck, in that moment he decided he was just going to see where it went, he was going to let them take charge. He reached out to stroke Regina's cheek gently as she pulled her glossy lip between her teeth in a way that was incredibly sexy.

She moved her other hand to take Marian's, threading their fingers together in Robin's lap as she moved closer to him. Maybe she had been a little hasty in what she thought earlier, maybe this could be fun. "So, neither of you have done this before I take it," she stated, bringing her feet up underneath her on the couch.

Robin shook his head as he watched her, she cast him a smirk before looking at Marian and grabbing the collar of her dress, before pulling her towards her and pressing their lips together. Robin's eyes went wide as he watched them kiss over him, it was the biggest turn on ever and he let out a groan that had Regina opening her eyes and looking at him, before pulling back and staring at his lips. He swallowed heavily and looked to Marian who simply nodded at him.

"Don't worry," Regina stated, "you're in safe hands," her hand stroked his shoulder as she leant in, she was about to kiss him when they heard the door open.

"Starting without me?" Daniel asked as they all turned to look at him. No sooner had it started, the moment was over and the illusion for Robin was shattered. He'd almost forgotten that it wasn't just the three of them, there was also another guy, that in his eyes made it more intimidating.

"Of course, not," Regina sighed, straightening up and moving off the sofa, "why ever would we do that?" Leaning down she picked up her wine glass and left the room, she dropped the apple in the bin, before rinsing her glass and putting it back next to the bottle of wine, she knew that she would definitely be wanting another glass later. When she went to join them again, they were already coming out of the sitting room, she tucked her hair behind her ear and looked to Robin who was following behind nervously, it was actually quite cute.

Letting out a little laugh, she shook her head at him, leaning against the door frame, "we're taking this somewhere a little more comfortable," her boyfriend stated glancing to Marian who was holding onto his arm. 

"Yep," she agreed, letting Daniel lead the other woman upstairs as Robin walked towards her and they both watched them go. "So?"

"This is so weird."

Regina let out a chuckle and nodded, "hmm. Do you want to go up?" she asked, her hand coming back to where it had been earlier, sitting on his cheek.

"Is running out of that door right now an option?" he laughed.

"It is if you want to leave your girlfriend here with a couple of swingers, apparently, she's into it."

"It was her idea," he confessed, exhaling deeply as he looked at her.

"I guessed as much, it was pretty obvious," she shrugged.

"Damn, I should have tried to conceal it better."

"Probably," she wrinkled her nose as she watched him, a soft smile came onto her face as she found his hand, he was a genuine loyal guy, that was for sure, she could tell, most of the guys they had done this with were cocky and confident, but not him.

"She's into it isn't she," he sighed, he knew she would be, she was the one to suggest it and he had already seen how she was interacting with Daniel, god, for all he knew they were already upstairs naked.

"More than me I'd wager," Regina laughed, before sighing, she hadn't exactly meant to say that, she and Daniel had always oozed confidence when they did this sort of thing and they did it quite regularly, they even used to have a regular couple.

He frowned, he knew he had seen some sort of reluctance on her part, he was glad he hadn't just been imagining it, but it was kind of a bummer when he was supposed to be the one she was sleeping with, "you're not into it?"

"Come on," she whispered, tugging his arm, "I think we better be joining them. You are coming, aren't you?" She rose her eyebrows before casting him a little smirk.

He chuckled and nodded, she was irresistible when she did that and it was the first time he had ever seen it, but he found himself wishing that she would do it again. He took a deep breath, it was now or never and looking at her made the decision for him, "yeah, I'm coming."


	3. Swingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's part the reason this story has to be posted on here instead of FF.net. Hope you enjoy! ;)

Regina took his hand as they made their way upstairs, she looked at him and sighed, did he want to be here? From what she had seen, part of him did and the other part, well, it didn't, part of him, as he had just said to her, wanted to hot foot it out of there as quick as he could and she couldn't blame him really, she should be warning him, telling him to get out whilst he still could, however, the selfish part of her wanted him to stay, she wanted to know what it was like with someone who wasn't like Daniel and the rest of them, someone who was like her.

Robin held onto her hand, it was small and delicate inside his and he couldn't help but tighten his grip as he followed close behind her. She was wearing a pretty little nightdress that he was sure she had nothing on underneath. Once they were at the top of the stairs, she stopped and looked at him, he grinned at her and brushed his fingers through her hair, "did you know that you were stunning?" He asked, caressing her neck lightly through her hair.

She pretended to think about it for a minute before nodding, "yeah, I think I did actually," she chuckled, playing around with him, secretly she was flattered by the compliment, it was just the way he said it, it wasn't a line, she knew it wasn't, mainly from the way he was looking at her.

He laughed and shook his head, "so, which room do we go in?"

"This one," she nodded, gesturing towards a door to the left that lead to her bedroom, "sure you don't want to leave?" she asked again, just making sure that he was certain.

"Yes," he grinned, he leaned in and she thought he was going to press his lips to hers, her heartbeat sped up as she watched him, however, instead of kissing her, he reached past her and pushed the door open, "after you milady," he stated.

She swallowed heavily, before walking in ahead of him, finding that Marian and Daniel were already half undressed and kissing, she turned to look at Robin and saw him shake his head. She sighed and pulled him further into the room, shutting the door behind him.

He had been rather stunned, he didn't know what he had been expecting, but seeing his girlfriend making out with another guy was strange, especially knowing this guy was supposedly in love with this stunning woman stood beside him.

"I know," she whispered, leading him over to the bed where they sat down on the edge and she held his hand in her lap, simply playing with his fingers, before pulling her legs up on the bed and making him lay down facing her as their hands lay in between them. This wasn't usually how it went, but she figured she'd take it slow with him.

He was trying to concentrate on Regina, but it was kinda hard when Marian was just beyond her, losing more clothes by the second, shaking his head, he looked at the woman in front of him and sighed, "shouldn't we be undressing or something?" He asked, moving his other hand to caress her waist lightly.

"I think that it's probably best to go at our own pace," she breathed, moving closer to him so that they were literally staring into one another's eyes, "not theirs."

He felt her breath brush across his lips and suddenly his focus was landed solely on her, on Regina, "I think you're right," he agreed, slipping his hand under the hem of her silk slip, before removing it again.

They felt the bed dip and turned to see that they had been joined by Daniel and Marian, who had managed to get completely naked, "you two are lagging behind," Daniel chuckled, kissing Regina's neck lightly, "going slow isn't usually your forte," he whispered, nipping her earlobe playfully with his lips.

"Well today it is dear," she sassed, her hands moving to the buttons on Robin's shirt, "do you mind?" she asked, he shook his head in response and she continued with her task before dropping the shirt to the floor, allowing her eyes to roam over his bare chest. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and ran her fingertips over his body, "did I tell you how handsome you were?" she questioned, feeling out each and every muscle, her touch as light as a feather.

"No, I don't think that you did," he chuckled, growing bolder as he pulled her closer to him so that their bodies were touching, slowly he ran his lips down her neck, causing her to squirm a little.

"Mmm," she moaned, tilting her head back to see Daniel hovering over the other woman, his hands moving across her body, mapping out every inch of her skin. She took a deep breath and tried to focus herself on Robin, but it just wasn't working, she needed more of a distraction. Her hands came to his pants as she worked to take them off, dropping them to the floor beside his shirt. She wrapped her leg around his and pulled him closer to her so that they were tangled up in each other's arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked, stroking her back gently.

"I will be," she shrugged, his eyes took her breath away, the way they shone when he looked at her, they were a deep blue colour and just held something, there was something there that she didn't see in Daniel's eyes and she couldn't place it, didn't know what it was, but it was definitely interesting.

They heard some murmuring from the couple next to them and Regina felt someone else's hands on her back, Daniel stroked across her skin, coming to the hem of her nightdress, before she grabbed his hand and shook her head, "excuse me, that is not your job," she scolded, casting him a poignant look, he was always trying to rush things and in that moment, she didn't want to be rushed.

"Oh come on Regina," he groaned, kissing down her skin, to the boundary of the fabric.

"Daniel," she let out a little squeal of laughter as he tickled her, "stop it, you know that you're being naughty."

"I thought you liked it when I was naughty," he quipped, pressing his lips to hers before pulling back to look at her, "fine, go ahead your majesty." He chuckled, moving back to Marian.

"Your majesty?" Robin laughed.

"Oh, just a little nickname from college, everyone called me it," she informed, "apparently, I was some sort of queen."

"Hmm, I can see why," he muttered, stroking the skin of her upper leg, "you definitely look very regal."

She smirked and ran her foot up the back of his leg, "yes, I suppose I am."

A low moan came from the woman on the other side of the bed and they both looked across to see that Daniel was already inside her. Robin closed his eyes and shook his head, "oh god."

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered swirling her fingertips up his arm, "I know how it feels, trust me," she stroked his cheek with her thumb and touched her nose to his, "we don't have to have sex."

"That's hardly fair is it." He sighed, his girlfriend was fucking another guy right next to him and he felt slightly sick to be honest, he knew Regina was trying to make him feel better, but he couldn't help thinking that she didn't really want to either.

"Trust me, Robin, I don't mind, maybe we can just do other stuff," she suggested.

"Like?"

She rose her eyebrows at him as her hand skimmed down his body and under the hem of his boxers, "hand stuff," she shrugged stroking his cock lightly.

"You don't want to have sex?" He asked, groaning at the feeling of her hand around him.

"I think I want to see how good you are with your fingers first," she quipped, just as they heard a cry of pleasure from Marian. "Ignore her," Regina whispered, "I know it's hard, but you have to block it out," she breathed, moving closer and finding his hand with her free one, bringing it under her nightdress, "touch me."

"Do you want me to?" He asked, stroking her inner thigh and concentrating on her, only her, on how soft her skin was, how good it felt under his fingers.

"Yes please," she nodded, "see if you can make me moan louder than her," she smirked, raising her eyebrows.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Why not," she chuckled, staring at his lips and realising that she hadn't even kissed them yet, she didn't know how it felt to have them pressed against her own, well that was something that would have to be rectified, because now she had remembered, it was all she could think of.

"Oh god!" Marian cried and Regina rolled her eyes, before glancing over her shoulder and back to Robin, he was staring again.

"I don't think this was a good idea," she stated, sitting up and shaking her head.

He watched her in confusion, was she giving up just like that, was she just going to forget about it and move on? It was his fault, he had this amazing, stunning woman in front of him and he kept getting distracted, he should have been giving her his undivided attention, she deserved nothing less, "Regina…"

"Robin, you don't want this, it isn't who you are," she cast him a small smile and was about to leave when he pulled her towards him and crashed his lips against hers, stealing the breath from her lungs as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close to her, he had a tight grip on her which resulted in her falling on top of him, releasing a little giggle as she carried on kissing him, now straddling one of his legs, feeling him hardening against her.

There was just something when their lips touched, something unexplainable, a whole load of new feelings that burst forth and suddenly she had gone from being not that into it and feeling sorry for him, to not being able to get enough of him and wanting him to touch her more. She swore she had never felt like this from a first kiss before, especially not one that was brought about from swinging, there usually wasn't any connection, it was just sex and that was all, but this time was completely different, there was a spark, hell, a fire had just started between them, her whole body was alight and she would quite gladly succumb to the flames and let them engulf her completely.

She moaned into his mouth before pulling back, only for the simple need for air, otherwise, she would willingly kiss him none stop. She moved her head a little so that she could look at him and skimmed her fingers across his cheek gently as she stared into his eyes, those beautiful blues which were now fogged with desire. "Well, that was…"

"Regina, I do want this, I want you," he stated, nipping at her bottom lip playfully, causing her to let out a little laugh that was like music to his ears, "however, I think that maybe you're right, we shouldn't have sex right away," she went to move away as he held up a finger to stop her, "but, I do want to feel you," he slipped his hand up her leg to cup her ass. That kiss had more than surprised him, he really hadn't been expecting such a connection, hadn't been expecting to feel so much, especially knowing that his girlfriend and the woman he was supposedly in love with was fucking another guy right next to him.

"You do?" she questioned, like she didn't already know the answer, it was quite clear by the look on his face and the bulge in his boxers that he wanted her, had this sudden urge to be with her, something she hoped wasn't spurred on by Marian and Daniel, but she had a feeling that it was more to do with her, he hadn't so much as glanced at the other couple since his lips had touched hers and that had to mean something right? It had to stand for something.

"I do," he nodded, his hand slipping lower between her thighs, brushing over her slit, not yet daring to part her and touch her where he knew she wanted to be touched. Slowly, he swiped a finger through her folds, feeling how wet she was before landing at her clit and giving it a firm rub. She let out a moan and arched into him, begging him to increase the speed and pressure of his touch, something that made him smirk proudly, he had barely even touched her and she was already wanting more. She was wet between the thighs, her arousal evident there as it flowed from her, allowing him to use it to his aid, "you're soaked, you feel so good," he breathed, finding her lips again.

She smiled against him, she felt so good? He was the one touching her, rubbing tight little circles on her clit that were driving her insane, making her body zing with pleasure, a pleasure that ran through her from head to toe. She groaned and closed her eyes, arching into him further as she rotated her hips against his hand, wanting him to go faster, "mmm, Robin, like that, just like that, please," she purred, moving her lips across the edges of his mouth and down his neck, sucking gently, before administering a small bite to his shoulder, one she soothed with her tongue.

She moved slightly to lay beside him instead of on top of him, this allowed her to put one hand inside his boxers to find his cock, her eyes deflected to his as she began moving her hand in time with his. His other hand came up to place her hair behind her ear tenderly, she smiled at the sweetness of the gesture, loving how caring he was.

Her hand was like magic as she surrounded his member and worked his cock in a steady motion. She moved her lips to his and felt his tongue run across them, asking for entrance which she granted, allowing him to kiss her deeper. "Robin," she moaned, feeling him circle her entrance and push two fingers inside her, causing her to let out a loud whimper as she broke her lips away from his to catch her breath. What happened to the guy who was too shy to even touch her? He had no reason to be shy, she could already feel herself getting worked up towards her peak, apparently, he was better with his hands than she had first thought.

Her hand sped up and she used her thumb to swipe over his tip, moving the moisture there to aid her in her task, "is this good for you?" she asked, trying to control her breathing as he continued to pump his fingers inside her brushing deliciously against her g-spot, whilst using his thumb to stimulate her clit.

"So good," he nodded, kissing her again, he really wanted to make her come, needed to make her come, he wanted to watch her fall apart because of him, he wanted to see her reach her peak, to give her pleasure. Regina was giving him just as much pleasure, her hand was small, but god she knew how to use it, knew exactly what to do to work him up. "Are you close?" He asked, picking up the speed a little and pressing that bit harder.

"Yes," she breathed, "god yes, Robin!" She heard Marian start making loud noises and cocked her head back to look at them, she decided that she was going to out noise them, she wasn't going to hold anything back. She cried out in pleasure, "god, fuck yes, Robin!"

Robin smirked at her and shook his head, before pulling her closer to him, "what are you doing?" he chuckled, pecking her lips.

"Showing you my appreciation," she whispered, closing her eyes and kissing him soundly, he curled his fingers and she let out another cry, "yes, oh god!" Her hand sped up, literally tugging on his cock, hoping to get him off, because she knew she was close to the edge that she was going to come around his fingers, she wanted them to come together at the same time.

She heard Daniel let out an animalistic grunt and knew that he had just reached his peak, it was the noise that he always made when he came. The bed dipped as he flopped down in between her and Marian, she immediately pressed her lips to Robin's not wanting him to become distracted by the fact that they had already finished, she was going to come tonight because of him if it was the last thing she did. She felt Daniel's hand on her back and moaned against Robin's lips, before pushing herself closer to him.

Daniel kissed her neck and she turned her head slightly to look at him, a smile dancing on her features before she moved her eyes back to Robin and purred, "make me come."

Robin groaned, god the sound of her voice made him thrust against her hand, it was so sexy and filled with desire, edging him on. He slammed his mouth against hers, causing her to let out a little yelp of both surprise and delight as she reciprocated the kiss, grinding against his fingers that were pounding in and out of her core. He felt her walls begin to flutter around his fingers and knew she was close, "Regina."

"Robin," she gasped, clenching his fingers as hard as she could as she flew over the edge into a hazy bliss, her hand faltered for the briefest moment and she let out a loud noise of appreciation, this time not purposefully, "oh god," she breathed, trying to catch her breath as Robin removed his fingers from inside her and she closed her eyes. Daniel was gently rubbing circles on her lower back, as he kissed the back of her head.

That was one of the best orgasms she'd had in her life, she didn't know why, but her whole body was buzzing, electricity flowed through her veins and sparked underneath her skin. Regina looked at Robin, he was watching her in fascination and she felt her cheeks heat up a little, the look on his face was amazing, it was as though he had never seen a woman orgasm before, which with those fingers, she doubted very much. Once she regained her breath, she realised that she hadn't finished him off yet and that her hand had gone somewhat slack around his throbbing cock, "sorry," she whispered, pressing her lips against his upper arm, before continuing with her hand movements.

Daniel had stopped touching her and she looked around to see that he was kissing Marian again, probably working himself up for another round, as usual. Sighing she looked back to Robin and smiled at him, her hand pleasuring him, as she carried on spotting kisses on his shoulder, his hand had gone to her upper thigh and he was simply stroking her leg as he closed his eyes and thrust against her hand. "Are you close?" she questioned.

"Hmm," he nodded, she chuckled and sped up her movements, alternating between simulating his shaft and tip. He let out a loud groan and arched into her, she bit her bottom lip and watched him as his orgasm hit and he released his seed in her hand. She pressed her lips to his, before releasing his cock and reaching over to the bedside table, grabbing a couple of tissues from the box and cleaning them both off before tucking him back inside his boxers.

"How was that?" she asked, laying so that she could look at him, her hand finding his as they went back to the position they were laid in before they had done anything. If it was anything like it had been for her, she knew it was good for him.

"God, so good," he breathed, kissing her lightly, as he moved his other hand to her cheek and stroked it gently, "you are so beautiful," Robin stated.

Regina let out a little giggle and shook her head, "this was fun."

"Yeah, it was," he nodded, looking over her shoulder and seeing that Marian was looking over at them, before she went back to concentrating on Daniel, "I still feel rather strange."

"Hmm, I don't know what I can do about that," Regina shrugged playing with his hands as she stared into his eyes, getting lost in them, god he was an attractive man and his hair had been all messed up by her hands, leaving him looking rather rugged, Daniel never looked like that, he was always well kept, he liked to look good, probably spent more time making sure that he looked good than she did, which was slightly concerning, she had a feeling that it wasn't Robin's style, even though she could tell that he had made an effort tonight, it probably didn't take him half as long as it took Daniel.

"When I say strange, I mean that I don't usually just go this far with a woman after knowing her literally an hour before."

"I'm guessing that you're the type of guy who likes to woo a lady," she laughed, her foot finding his, as she mimicked the movement of their hands.

"I do actually, I think courting is important."

"Courting?" She shook her head, screwing up her nose in the way he already knew that he loved, "how old are you, grandpa?"

"You see, I don't even know how old you are," he shrugged, he literally knew nothing about her, all he knew was that her name was Regina Mills, she lived here with her boyfriend Daniel and she was a swinger, that was literally it.

"Never ask a lady her age," she joked.

"I didn't ask, I merely stated that I didn't know, there's a difference."

"Ooh, okay then," Regina sniggered, just at that moment her stomach let out a loud rumble and she pressed her hand to it, realising that she was actually famished, she hadn't eaten since that morning and it was now eleven o'clock, she hadn't even realised how late she'd stayed at the office, it had been a rouse to try and get Daniel to cancel tonight's plans, she had told him that she was going to stay late, hoping that maybe he'd cancel, but he didn't and she just ended up staying at the office for no apparent reason. Now though, she was glad that he hadn't cancelled the plans because if he had, she wouldn't have met Robin.

"Hungry?" He asked, stroking her stomach gently through the silk of her short nightdress.

"Maybe a little," she sighed.

"I thought you just fed her," Daniel chuckled, moving over to her and rubbing her arm gently.

"No Daniel, that was supposed to be your job and you forgot to do that," she rolled her eyes, seriously? Was he serious? He knew she would be hungry, for actual food, why was he trying to be all smart about it and act as though everything was alright, she was still totally pissed at him over that.

"Aww, baby come on," he pouted at her, kissing her cheek lightly, "you know I'm only messing with you."

Marian moved over behind Daniel and rested her chin on his shoulder as she looked at them, "did you guys not…"

Regina looked towards Robin and shook her head, "I think I need to break this one in slowly."

"What am I, your prize stallion?" he mocked jokingly as he stroked her arm.

"You may just be, but you're going to have to prove that to me," she sniggered, looking to Marian and casting her a smirk, Marian bit her bottom lip and moved from behind Daniel to lay beside Regina, "apparently, your girlfriend is willing to share her prize steed."

"Okay, this is weird," Daniel shook his head, letting out a laugh. Marian slowly swirled her fingers up and down Regina's arm, as she looked towards Robin with her eyebrows raised.

Robin definitely agreed with Daniel, but not about the conversation, about the situation, it was literally the four of them in bed, with him and Regina half naked and Mariana and Daniel completely bare. He moved his mouth down to Regina's ear and whispered to her, "what happens now?"

She hummed and looked at him, "well, usually, we all just sleep here, if you are into that."

"Marian?"

"I'm game," she nodded, burying her head in the pillow beside Regina as Daniel did the same, wrapping an arm around Marian. Robin lay down opposite Regina and shook his head, it was still weird.

* * *

 

Two and a half hours later, Robin still couldn't sleep, he was facing the door and had his back to Regina, she had an arm wrapped around him with her head pressed against him, he could feel her soft breathing on his shoulder and wondered whether she was still awake or not, he couldn't tell, all he knew was that he was finding it impossible to drift off, he had too many thoughts swirling through his brain, everything in his life was just so up in the air, he couldn't keep track. It was as though one minute he had everything in place and the next, he didn't know what the hell was happening, his plans were like marbles that had been lined up neatly and all it had taken was one stray marble to knock into all the rest and send them flying.

"I can hear you thinking, it's keeping me awake," Regina whispered, kissing the area of skin just below his ear as she hugged him a little tighter, "what is it?"

He took her hand and moved it from around him, before turning around and looking at her, "I don't know, I guess I just have a lot on my mind."

"About what we did?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows, "do you regret it?" She hoped he didn't, that he didn't regret what they had done for each other, because she didn't regret, not in the slightest, it wasn't as though they were cheating, their partners had been right there, they had been fucking right next to them.

He played with the strap of silk covering her shoulder and shook his head, "no, I don't regret it," he didn't and that was what worried him, shouldn't he regret something like this? Something so huge, it was a massive change of direction in his relationship with Marian, being able to touch and be with other people, it was something that he knew he should regret, mainly because he saw himself as a man with a code, an honourable man who was faithful. Was this really breaking that though? They were all consenting in this, so could it really class as cheating, he wasn't sure.

"Good, I would hate for you to regret it, I really don't want you feeling bad for what we did, it was great Robin it really was."

He let out a deep breath and pulled her closer to him, his fingers dancing across her lower back, "I don't regret it Regina, I promise you, and you're right, it was really great, you are really great."

She sighed and shook her head, "I don't know about that one."

"Yes, you are, Regina…" he frowned at her and tilted his head, "you are."

Regina cast him a sad smile and chuckled, "thank you." Then her stomach rumbled again and she groaned.

"God you really are hungry aren't you."

"Yes, I am, my tummy actually hurts," she rolled her eyes, turning to look at a sleeping Daniel and Marian, Marian was hugging to her back, her arm slung around her, whilst Daniel's arm was around Marian.

"Come on then," Robin sat up and slipped out of the bed, grabbing his pants from the floor and pulling them up.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Taking you out for something to eat."

She turned to look at the clock and shook her head, "what at half one in the morning?" she asked, watching him scramble around in the dark to try and find his shirt.

"Come on, I'm sure somewhere will be open, do you really want to lay in that bed all night hungry? Or do you want to go out and get some food with great company?"

She sniggered and dropped her head back to the pillow, "where will we go?"

"Anywhere you want to, although at this time it will probably either be McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts."

"Really, you're going to take me to Dunkin' Donuts for our first date?" she giggled, as he knelt down beside the bed and looked at her.

"McDonald's it is then."

She smiled at him and was sure she could see his eyes shimmering as she looking into them, biting her bottom lip, she nodded and gently took hold of Marian's hand moving her arm from around her waist as she moved out of bed, "do you think we should wake them?" she asked, never having actually crept out of the house in the middle of the night before.

"Nah, they won't even notice," he chuckled.

She grabbed some slacks from the wardrobe as well as an oversized hoodie, before taking Robin's hand and leaving the bedroom, closing the door carefully behind her, when they reached the front door, she turned to him and shook her head, "let's go."

 


	4. 20 Questions

Regina and Robin sat opposite each other in McDonald's as she picked at her fries, all of a sudden, she wasn't so hungry, she really should have told Daniel that she was going out, but then again, why should she, he kept things from her all the time, sprung things on her, did things without letting her know. What was the difference between that and what she was doing?

Robin looked at her and tilted her head, she had something on her mind, was clearly thinking about something, "hey, I thought you were hungry."

"I was," she whispered, looking up at him, "sorry, I guess I'm not very good company right now." she sighed, dipping another fry in some of the tomato sauce.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked, tilting his head at her as he had some of his own food.

"Not really," she shrugged, "you don't even know me so…"

"Hey, I might not know you properly yet, but I want to get to know you and if you want to tell me something, you can." He stated, he knew it was odd, they had met a mere few hours ago and already been closer than he had with few people. They'd already given each other orgasms.

"Who are we fooling? This about sex, that's all it's ever about, there's never a personal connection, it's better that way," she breathed, she was so over swinging, she just wanted to stop and have a normal life, she wanted a family, a loving husband who was loyal to her and only her. Little children running around the house, painting on walls, doing things that kids did, she wouldn't even care, let them paint on the walls, they would be her children and she would love them. But none of that seemed possible at the moment, it was a dream, a dream that would never come true, no matter how much she wanted it.

"You sound bitter," he quipped, taking a bite out of his burger.

"What gave you that idea?" she rolled her eyes, sipping some of her milkshake through a straw.

He watched her for a moment as she put down the drink and opened her burger, taking out the gherkins and dropping them onto a napkin as she poured her fries into the lid of the burger box. "Hey, they are the best part," Robin scoffed, picking up the discarded green circles and eating them.

She scrunched up her nose and shook her head, "that was very gross."

"What was?" he grinned, raising his eyebrows at her.

"That, eating my cast-off food like that."

"You weren't eating them," he pointed out.

"True, because they are disgusting," she laughed, her smile lessening somewhat as she noticed he was staring at her. She tucked her hair behind her ear consciously and looked down at her food again, picking at it. Why was he looking at her like that? As though she was something special, she wasn't anyone special, anyone would be a fool to think that she was. "Stop it," she murmured.

"Stop what?" he asked, why was she so insecure now that they were alone together?

"Staring at me, you're staring at me, stop it." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn't mean to stare," he scoffed, "but I think your food is going cold," he smirked.

She let out a laugh and shook her head, "shut up you," she kicked him playfully under the table before picking up her burger and simply looking at it.

"What are you doing now?"

"I can't."

"You can't what?" He chuckled.

"I can't eat it," she shook her head putting it back down again. The last thing she wanted was burger sauce all over her face and clothes, she was a little more refined than that.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "you don't like it?"

"No, I mean I can't eat it," she sighed, "I need to cut it up."

"You need to cut it up?"

"Yes," she nodded, "you might be happy eating the thing whole at once, but I can't."

He laughed and her and stood up, "someone's high maintenance."

She tutted at him and sent a glare his way, "no, I'm just, I… shut up," she looked down at the burger again, hoping to magic it into smaller cut up pieces, she was so hungry and she wanted to eat it, she just didn't want to look like a slob doing it in front of him.

"Do really think I care if you get a little lettuce down the front of your jumper?" he sniggered before walking off.

"Robin where are you…"

"Going to get you a knife to cut up your burger your majesty."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, before quietly laughing to herself, it was the middle of the night and they were literally sat in this empty fast food restaurant, there was a group of girls huddled in the corner, they had clearly been out clubbing and needed something to soak up the alcohol, but apart from them, it was dead.

It was weird doing this, she had never really been out alone with someone they'd gone swinging with before, if they had seen each other it had always been as a couple, her and Daniel, however tonight was hardly one of those situations, she'd be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed their activities and that she didn't like that he had thought about her and driven her to get food.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she jumped out of her skin turning to see Robin giving her a peculiar look, "you okay?"

"Yes, you just made me jump," she chuckled as he placed a plastic knife in her burger box and she picked it up to begin cutting up her food into more manageable pieces.

He sat down again and watched her, "so, how about we play a game?"

"What game?" she chuckled looking up at him as she brought her first piece of burger up to her mouth and took a bite. "I'm not too keen on games," she narrowed her eyes.

"How about a game of twenty questions?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her, sucking his shake loudly.

"Stop, you're going to take air into your lungs, it's bad for you," she swatted his hand.

"Really? Who are you, my mother?"

Regina administered a sharp kick to his shins under the table, "do I look old enough to be your mother? If you say yes, your other shin is going to take the brunt of it," she cast him a mischievous grin as he felt her foot brushing across his other leg, knowing that she didn't make empty threats was something which thrilled him.

"You definitely don't look old enough to be my mother," he chuckled, "close but not quite." There it was the second kick and he clutched his leg, she definitely didn't hold back when it came to holding to her promises, "that's assault."

"You had a fair warning, it doesn't count," she almost giggled as she ate a couple of her fries, loving this friendly banter they had slipped into. "So, do you go first, or can I?" She asked, her face slipping back to its previous serious state before she went for the second quarter of her burger.

He found it adorable, not only had she cut it in half, she had gone again and cut it into four pieces, little bite-sizeed chunks that he had never seen a burger in before. "How about we flip for it."

"Okay, have you got a quarter?"

"Hmm," he rummaged in his pockets and found a coin, sliding it across the table for her to pick up, she looked at the coin, "heads or tails to start first?" She questioned.

"I'm gonna go with heads."

"Right," she flipped it in the air and dropped it down onto the back of her hands, before peaking a look at it, "tales, I win," she chuckled, showing him and dropping it in his hands.

"It wasn't really a competition…"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes, tucking her raven locks behind her ear as she took a drink of her shake and leant over the table a little. What question could she ask him, she needed to start simple and build up to the bigger ones, like why the fuck would you agree to go swinging when you clearly didn't want to, but that was a question he could ask her also so she really wasn't one to talk. "So Mr Locksley, I think we'll start with an easy question."

"Ask away."

"Okay then, how old are you?"

"33, my turn, how old are you?"

"You shouldn't ask a lady her age."

"We're playing 20 questions, there are no rules. Age?" he smirked, leaning back in his chair as he saw mischief fill her eyes.

"32," she grinned, she was trying to work out how he was playing this, watching his movements, his reactions, it was only the first question, but she had a feeling that there were going to be some interesting ones coming up later. "Okay, second question, when did you come to America? I mean you're obviously British, right?"

"Hmm, I came to Uni here, met Marian and didn't go back home," he shrugged, "that was about ten years ago now."

"I see," she felt slightly downhearted by his answer, a part of her had hoped that his relationship with Marian was new, that way then maybe he could move on once his girlfriend had decided that she wanted a swinger's life. She had known it had to be some sort of long-term though, nobody just went swinging with a partner they had only just gotten together with, it didn't happen. "so you got with Marian straight away then?"

"Well that's another matter… wait, hey it's my question, that's a separate question."

"It was part of my first question," she laughed, going for another segment of her burger, which was actually getting slightly cold, she should probably hurry up and eat it before it lost all its heat. "Come on then, ask me something."

"Where were you born?"

"Where was I born? Really? Shitty question," she scoffed, thinking back to her troubled childhood before shaking her head and sighing, "I was born in Maine."

"And you moved to California? Why?"

"Excuse me? You just told me off for doing exactly what you have just done," she tutted, waggling her finger at him, "naughty boy, that is cheating."

"Oh get over it," he grinned, going to steal some of her fries as his were long gone, he had nearly got them when her hand shot out quicker than he could have imagined and grabbed his wrist.

"Oi thief, you had your own," she cast him a playful glare as she challenged him to try and continue in stealing her food. She'd often had to do the same as a child whenever Zelena would try and steal something off her plate, she worked a way to suss it out, watching their movements, seeing the way they were eyeing up her food and she had trained her reflexes in order to grab them. Her sister had soon stopped taking advantage of Regina being a slow eater, but obviously, Regina had been the one to get into trouble for grabbing her sister's wrist, she could never win.

"That was creepily quick."

"I have good reflexes," she quipped, dropping his hand, "I was actually just about to ask you if you wanted some of my fries, but I think I might keep them all to myself now," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she took one and dipped it into some sauce before bringing it to her lips and taking a bite, releasing a moan and closing her eyes as she did so.

"You're a little tease," he grinned watching her mouth and tilting his head, he realised in that moment that maybe he was more attracted to this woman than he first thought, he was sure it was purely sexual, he was with Marian, he was committed to her, but he couldn't help finding Regina absolutely stunning, she was sexy and alluring and he knew that she knew she was too. "Ask another question," he stated, his voice coming out lower and more affected than he had meant for it to be.

"Okay," she breathed, "so you and Marian, how long have you been together?"

"Two years," he let out a loud sigh and looked to the table, "two years."

"I thought you said that you met her at Uni."

"We didn't get together in Uni, I had this crush on her, it's slightly embarrassing, but she was dating my mate. Then a couple of years ago I bumped into her at this party and the rest is history, we've been together ever since."

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Why are you saying you're sorry?"

"Well, you waited all that time for her and now look where she's landed you," Regina scoffed, shaking her head, she couldn't help but have a slight bit of disdain towards Marian.

"What if I'm totally into the swinger life now?"

"You aren't," she shook her head, she knew he wasn't, it was obvious, not in the way he acted towards her, but the way he acted when they were with Marian and Daniel, she wouldn't be surprised if Daniel's presence put him off, she knew that men were more reluctant when it came to getting naked in front of each whilst engaging with women, it was just the way it went. Women, well, the women she's been with, seemed to be more at ease, didn't care about it as much, Marian certainly hadn't.

"How do you know?"

"I know," she shrugged, "you've been with her two years Robin, why is she just now wanting to try this new stuff?"

"That's what I asked her and she just said she had been thinking about it for a while," he sighed, "anyway, let me ask you another question," he sighed, he'd had enough of talking about Marian and just wanted to hear more about the beautiful woman in front of him who was currently nibbling at her last piece of burger. "Why did you moved to California?"

"Ha," she laughed, putting the burger back down again, "well, the reason most people move here, I went straight to LA, I wanted to be an actress, but I realised that was a stupid dream and I really wasn't willing to make the sacrifices I would have had to make. I was younger then, around twenty-three, twenty-four, but I had a dream, that didn't happen so… yeah," she shrugged.

"You act?"

"No, god no, not anymore, my acting days are behind me," she rolled her eyes, "they weren't even really in front of me to begin with, plus I realised that I was better shouting my mouth off for other reasons," she smirked.

"What is your job?"

"Ah, is that question four?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"It's mine to you too, so you first."

"Well, I'm a teacher."

"Okay then," she rose her eyebrows before looking back down again to her fries that were nearly all gone as she had been absentmindedly eating one here and there, but she had already taken about three times as long as Robin had to eat his.

"What does that look mean?" he enquired, tilting his head at her.

"I just thought of you in a different job that's all," she shrugged. "Do you want this?" she asked offering him some of her burger and not expecting him to take it, but he did and grinned at her.

"Thanks," he took a bite from it and turned his nose up, "I can't believe you were eating this."

"I wasn't," she giggled, "I was going to throw it away because it was cold and greedy guts here thought he'd have it," she laughed.

He shook his head, she really found herself funny and it was quite adorable to watch; swallowing down the last part of 'ice' burger, her wiped his hands on a napkin before stating, "I didn't tell you what I teach."

"Oh, please don't tell me it's English, that would be so cliché, English guy comes over to America to teach American kids how to speak, proper English," she changed her voice into a mock English accent as she took the chance to taunt him.

"Nope, not English; I don't exactly teach at a school, I own my own outdoors activity centre and do archery lessons."

"Archery?" now that she hadn't been expecting, "you're a regular Robin Hood then?" she bit down on her bottom lip and finished off the last fry in the box, before closing it and placing it to the side, along with the ketchup pot which she wrapped up carefully with a napkin and placed in the box before standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"To put this in the bin," she shrugged, carrying the tray over to the bin and tipping her rubbish in it before resting the tray on the top of it.

"Why did you have to put it in the bin straight away?"

"Because otherwise it would have been sat there staring at me for the rest of our conversation."

"Okay then," he laughed, casting her a funny look.

"I have mild OCD, don't judge me," she hid behind her hands as she joined him in his laughter, peaking at him over the top.

"So, what might your job be milady?"

"I'm a lawyer," she shrugged.

He could see that, she had the sass and sarcasm down to a t and she was definitely a formidable opponent, however she didn't seem very serious, she could be though, he had seen the moments in which she had possessed the utmost seriousness and they were slightly overwhelming, he much preferred the Regina he was sat with now, the down to earth one who was up for having a laugh. "So, are you defender or prosecutor?"

"Depends what mood I'm in," she quipped, "sometimes I defend," she ran her tongue over her top lip before adding, "and sometimes I prosecute." She was playing with him again, it was too good of an opportunity to miss.

"I see," he smirked, catching her drift.

"My question next, where was the strangest place you ever had sex?" she asked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, thinking that she might make this conversation a little more interesting than her being a lawyer.

"Really?" he laughed, "well, I think I'm gonna have to say mile high club."

"Mile high club?!" She shook her head, "boring."

"Well, what's yours?"

"Ah, well that is something for another day."

"You have to answer."

"No I don't," she chuckled, "but I will, do not judge me for this one," she picked up her drink, wanting something to hide behind, "I was young and stupid and to be honest at the time it was fun, but yeah, probably not the smartest idea I ever had."

"Come on."

"Okay, so I was with my second serious boyfriend, we went home to visit my mother, she didn't approve of him, which wasn't a surprise, she approves of no one, including me," she let out a humourless laugh before carrying on, because now was certainly not the time to be talking to Robin about her mother. "There were two actually," she cringed, "the first one was in my old Wendy house in the backyard, it was one of those plastic things and it nearly broke, he was really tall and it was just not working."

Robin rose his eyebrows at her as he admired the happy look on her face, she looked happier than she had when they were back at her house earlier that night, a lot more relaxed, maybe that had something to do with actually having been able to eat something. "So the second one?"

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and shook her head, "too bad, you won't believe it."

"Oh come on, you've got me excited now," he chuckled, leaning across the table and pushing her hair behind her ear for her before returning back to his previous position and looking at her, his breath catching a little.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes, "how do you make me do these things so easily? I swear it's those blue eyes of yours, casting some sort of spell on me," she confessed, as it turned out, his eyes did quite the number on her, they turned her on quite easily she had come to learn and they could also make her give in and do anything he asked of her, they were captivating.

"Oh do you like my eyes miss Mills?"

"I do actually," she nodded, "anyway, this story. After the failed kiddie play house attempt, he drove us to look out point," she sniggered, just thinking about what came next was enough to reduce her to a puddle of giggles, "we got out of the car and decided maybe the bonnet might be a good place, it would have helped if he put the hand break on the car."

"No!" Robin laughed, loud enough to capture the attention of the staff that were stood looking board behind the counter, he couldn't help think how boring it must be working the graveyard shift. Even the group of drunk girls had gone home now and it was literally just he and Regina sat in there. "Don't tell me it…"

"Rolled down the hill," she confirmed, "he had to run after it," she smiled fondly, looking down and taking the lid off her milkshake, finding it completely drained, "he loved me, shame really," she sighed, she knew that he would have been completely devoted to her, he worshipped the ground she walked on, unlike Daniel at the moment who was seemingly intent on making her life as complicated as humanly possible.

After playing the game all night with interjected conversations, Robin had two questions left and Regina had only one, one that she was going to use very wisely, Robin was looking at her curiously and she wondered what he was going to ask her. They had been through a whole array of questions, telling each other a lot about their youth and past loves.

Robin had been watching her all night, cataloguing the little movements she would make, the small gestures which captivated him, it was almost as though he had worked out her mannerisms already. He'd also discovered that she had a thing for coffee, in the time they had been there and she had finished her milkshake, she'd had three large lattes, so god knew what time it was right now. Time had flown by so fast, they hadn't really registered it.

"So, this question is a little personal," he stated.

"Haven't they all been?" she furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the half full coffee card sat on the table in front of her, she couldn't believe she had stuck all those little stickers on there in one night, that was so bad, but they had literally been up the entire night, they must have been. "Hit me with this question."

"Okay, how did you get into swinging, was it something you wanted or…"

"No, I didn't really know what it was," she scoffed, "I'd never even heard of it before. It was Daniel who first suggested it. We'd been together around three years and I thought we were heading towards marriage, babies, that kind of thing. So when he said he had an important question to ask me, I thought, maybe he might ask me to…" she swallowed heavily and took a gulp of her coffee.

"Ask you to marry him?"

"Yeah, I thought he was, I was itching to say yes because I so desperately wanted this family. I got home, he'd cooked dinner, there were flowers, it was lovely and I was really getting certain that he was going to propose. I sat at the table, we ate, all through dinner this thought had been on my mind, then the moment came and, it wasn't what I expected that's for sure," she had never confessed this to anyone, so she had no idea why she was telling Robin, it wasn't really relevant the whole thing, he'd only asked if it were her choice.

"That's when he asked you?" Robin scoffed shaking his head, seriously? Was this guy insane? What did he think his girlfriend would have been thinking? Why would he set her up for disappointment? If he thought the way Marian had asked him was harsh, he had been sorely mistaken, Regina had suffered worst of all.

"Hmm, he said, Regina, how would you feel about inviting someone into the bedroom with us," she laughed, "how ridiculous is that? Of course, I fucking mind. Sorry," she whispered, warming her hands on the coffee cup in front of her, she hadn't meant to get so worked up, but she couldn't help it, it was the one subject that always managed to get her that way. "So yeah, that is how I got into swinging, don't get me wrong, I found it exciting, but after a while it just got… boring."

"How long ago was that?" He questioned, finding her hand across the table, looking out of the window and noticing that the sun was beginning to rise and that they definitely should be getting back, Marian and Daniel would probably both be awake before they got there at this rate.

"That was four years ago," she sighed, that was longer than she and Daniel had been together on their own, without added extras in the bedroom and she missed the days where she could just come home and relax, or have sex just the two of them, it didn't happen anymore.

Robin's hand snuck up to her cheek as he stroked it gently, "I believe you have one more question for me before we should be setting off back."

"You have another too," she whispered.

"I know, you first."

She met his eyes as her hand clasped around his and she joint them on the table, she had been thinking about this all night, it was something she hadn't really considered happening until their little venture out and their long talk, but she thought that it might be fun, if she couldn't get Daniel alone, she could at least have someone she liked in the bedroom with her, "I know this is a big question, but I hope you will consider it," she breathed.

She looked nervous and he squeezed her hands gently, nodding for her to continue, he didn't know what she was talking about, but if she wanted him to consider it, he would, "go on."

"I was just… how would you, and Marian of course, how would you feel about maybe… becoming our regular couple?" she asked, looking up at him, hope shining from her eyes as she pulled her lip between her teeth again, he noticed she did it when she was worried about something, or turned on, but it was definitely more from the first category right now.

"Your regular couple?" he rose his eyebrows, it was a massive decision, it was committing to the lifestyle, but was it really though? If it was just the four of them, just them and no one else? "I think I'd have to talk to Marian first but…"

"Of course," she nodded, "of course you would."

"Then I think it's time for my last question," he grinned, "would you like for us to become your regular couple?"

"Yes, yes I would."


	5. Making Out

Robin pulled up outside Regina's house, the sun had come up and he really hoped that Marian and Daniel hadn't awoken to find them gone, they had brought breakfast back with them for their partners after having already eaten out. It had been an interesting night, one of many new revelations, he and Regina had gotten to know each other rather well and they most certainly felt better in one another's company, a lot more comfortable.

It made him wish thought that they could have done that before they had hopped into bed with one another, sure they hadn't had full on sex, but it might have been nice for them to have established some kind of relationship with one another before they made each other orgasm. They were strangers when they had first done that and it was odd to think about, he was a gentleman, he didn't just go having sexual relations with a woman before he so much as knew her middle name, the thing was though, all that had gone out of the window with Regina and he couldn't quite understand why.

He looked at her as she stared out of the window at her house, it really was quite beautiful, with its many glass full-length windows. Inside was just as spectacular, there were high ceilings, marble counters, modern furnishings with large elaborate light fixtures, to be honest, it was just the type of house he imagined her living in.

"Working today?" he asked, breaking the silence that had been present in the car since they had left the fast food restaurant. It hadn't been an uncomfortable one, they had simply listened to some soft music playing on the radio. Now though he felt an air had surrounded them, one that hadn't been there all night since they left the house, it was an odd unsettling feeling that he didn't like, before he had felt free, now he just felt flustered.

Regina turned to look at him, she'd been deep in thought before he had broken through and pulled her back again, "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"

"I just wondered if you were working today."

"Oh," she smiled, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear as she glanced towards the house briefly before back to him again, "I have a trial later," she shrugged, "that's at four, how about you? Are you working?" she asked, internally rolling her eyes at herself for being so awkward around him.

"My class starts at six," he nodded, looking at her, he didn't know how she could be so different, it was insane, she had been so calm and relaxed when they had been out. Was she uncomfortable being sat with him in the car? It seemed as though she was and the last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable around him. "Should we be getting back inside?"

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, I had a lovely night," she stated, leaning over and pecking his cheek gently, before moving to grab the take-out bag from the back seat, "but our partners are waiting for us, so."

"Of course, let's go," he pushed the car door open reluctantly, he really wanted to spend more time with her, he knew her pretty well he would say, they had talked extensively that night before about many things, they had both made confessions, told secrets and truths about one another and he was glad for the connection they had built. If they were going to have to sleep together, they had to get along and the way he saw it, they got on extremely well, they had a certain amount of chemistry and he was eager to explore it further.

She got out of his car and looked at him over the top, the heat from outside hit her immediately as he'd had the air conditioning turned up pretty high. It was strange how a person had a particular scent to them, Robin's was definitely a woodsy smell and his car smelt no different, it was rather overpowering, not in a bad way, in fact, she quite liked it, it was just rather intoxicating and she needed to give her nose a break.

"What?" he asked, rounding the car to walk in stride with her as they headed up her driveway.

She chuckled lightly and shook her head, "nothing."

"What?" he grinned, nudging her playfully, "something has clearly gotten you all giddy."

"Has anyone ever told you that you smell like forest?" she asked, biting her bottom lip as they stopped at the front door and she rifled in her pocket for the key.

"Forest?"

"Hmm, trees," she shrugged, finding what she was looking for and placing it in the lock.

"You think I smell like trees?" He questioned, an air of humour present in his voice.

"Yes, you do," she nodded, moving into the hall and kicking off her shoes, flinging her jumper off with them and placing it on the coat stand. "I can't believe no one has ever told you before," she stated as they made their way into the kitchen and dropped the food down on the counter, before flicking the switch on the coffee machine.

"Is it something I should worry about?" he grinned, leaning against the worktop as he watched her grab four cups from the cupboard, "is it an off-putting smell or…"

"No, not at all, I'm just surprised no one told you before that's all," she smirked moving to open the curtains that covered the massive patio doors which spanned the length of the living area and opened out to a deck with a pool and the rest of the garden, just another element of her house which was amazing. "I quite like the smell," she whispered, more to herself as she played with the curtain, tying it back against the wall before opening the doors and looking out to the pool. He wondered how much she used it if it even got used at all.

"Do you like to swim?"

"I'm practically a fish," she laughed, "you can't keep me out of the water once I'm in there." She went in the pool at least once every day, she liked to get up early before Daniel was awake and do a few lengths, then if it wasn't too late when she returned home from work she would get some more in. "How about you?"

"Me? I…" he stopped and looked at the clear water, he was sure it would feel amazing, the cool contrasting with the heat, but… "I'm not really much of a swimmer," he shook his head.

"Shame," she shrugged.

"I mean, I suppose I would like to be it's just…" there was no way he was telling her the real reason, it was embarrassing, he was a 33-year-old man who didn't bloody know how to swim, how was that even possible? She was eyeing him strangely and he knew she was wanting more information, she wanted him to confess the truth to her, something which wasn't happening because he was slightly ashamed.

She watched him, looking at him for a brief moment and then to the water behind him, she wondered where he was going and yes, she did want to find out what he was trying to say, but there was also a part of her telling her that she shouldn't pry, if he wanted to tell her, he would have done, nothing good would come from her trying to push him, so she wouldn't, she would just leave it alone and change the topic. "Feeling tired?" she asked, moving back to the counter again.

"Not really, you?"

"Maybe a little, but not overly so," she sighed, running her fingers through her hair and musing that she needed a shower at some point, her hair must look a complete mess. "I think I'll go check whether Daniel is awake, are you coming?"

"Best check on Marian," he nodded, following behind her as she made her way up the stairs, his eyes dropped to her ass briefly before he reprimanded himself and looked away, now was not the time to be checking her out, he was supposed to be going to see how his girlfriend was getting on, not staring at Regina's amazingly perfect backside.

Upon reaching the top, Regina pushed open the bedroom door to see Marian and Daniel still laid in bed, she was propped up on her elbow as a they chatted quietly, her fingers roaming his chest in a way that filled Regina with a slight jealousy, especially because Daniel's hand was caressing her waist mindlessly.

Upon hearing the door open, they both stopped in their actions and looked towards them. A smile came upon Marian's face as she stretched an arm out then, Regina looked behind her to Robin, before biting down on her bottom lip and moving towards the woman, sitting down on the bed and Marian moved closer to her, lacing their finger together, looking at both Daniel and Robin.

Robin was staring at the two women, he wanted to know what Regina was going to do, Marian was looking at her with this lust in her eyes. The quilt slipped, revealing that Marian was still naked and Robin couldn't help but watch as the two women looked at each other. They were both incredibly beautiful, Marian's hair a hint lighter that Regina's and longer as well, but they still made quite the picture.

Regina could tell what the other woman was going to do when Marian's hand slipped up her leg, she wasn't entirely sure what to do about it, because as much as she might have enjoyed attention from women in the past, this seemed different, especially after having got to know Robin like she had the night before.

She felt Daniel's hand move to her back as he pressed his lips below her ear, "do you know how hot it would be if you made out with her?" he breathed, pulling her earlobe between his teeth, "it would be a massive turn on seeing two beautiful women together." Regina took a deep breath and shuffled nearer, she was about to close the gap when Marian caught her off guard and fastened her lips to hers. Regina rose her eyebrows, not closing her eyes straight away due to the shock of not being allowed to make the first move, of being overpowered.

Marian's lips were soft against her own, her hand reaching up to hold her neck, Regina's eyes flashed to Robin, seeing how he was looking at them before she closed her eyes and kissed back, one hand stroking up Marian's side to grasp her arm, squeezing it gently.

Robin watched as his girlfriend made out with the woman he had been getting to know rather well over the past twelve hours and he would be lying if he said it didn't turn him on insanely, the way their lips were caressing and their hands were stroking over each other. Who didn't react to two gorgeous women kissing and touching each other like that? He saw Marian take Regina's hand and move it to her breast, Daniel was kissing Regina's neck as the three engaged in whatever they were doing.

Regina was shocked to say the least at Marian's boldness, she gasped into her mouth as Daniel nipped her earlobe, she pulled back from the kiss as her boyfriend mumbled in her ear again, "best get him involved, haven't we darling?"

She turned to Robin and bit down on her bottom lip, "Robin?" she breathed gesturing with her head for him to come and join them on the bed, "would you be a dear and come over here?" She asked, her voice coming out huskier than she had intended it to, this couldn't be turning her on, surely it wasn't? Apparently, her hoarse voice was disagreeing with her, she dropped her neck back as she felt Marian's hands rid her of her top so that she was wearing her bra and sweatpants, the woman's hands were immediately groping at her breasts, but it was much less forceful than some of the men she had been with and she had to say she didn't really mind the contact.

He watched as Daniel and Marian kissed and touched Regina, hearing her little whimpers and moans was beginning to make his trousers tighten, the way she rolled her head back and let Daniel get closer to her was truly magnificent, however he couldn't help but feel a tag jealous that they were touching her and he wasn't, he needed to be, he needed to kiss that spot on her neck that was just waiting for his lips.

She looked over to Robin again and leant back a little, "Robin, are you just going to watch or are you going to come over here and kiss me?"

He didn't need to be asked again, he moved quickly over to the bed, climbing onto it and looking at Marian and Daniel before gazing at the woman who had just summoned him. Spotting a light kiss on Marian's shoulder, he moved up beside Regina and claimed the side of her neck, kissing her just like Daniel still was on the other side.

Regina moaned loudly as Robin sucked her skin, she usually hated that kind of kiss, but she couldn't get enough of it, her senses were tingling as the three of them lavished her with attentive kisses and touches. Marian's lips moved back to hers as she felt herself laying back, her head dropping to the pillows. She closed her eyes and arched her hips, one hand finding Robin's arm, the other grasping Daniel's shoulder.

Marian's breasts were pressed against her own and she really didn't know what she was playing at, they had come upstairs to check on them, not to have more sexual contact, that had been nowhere on her radar, but apparently, Robin's girlfriend liked to dominate. Regina wasn't one for being dominated, she liked to be in control the majority of the time, liked to be able to have the say in which way a session would go, yet here she was being kissed by all three of them, yielding all control as Marian's hand tried to move lower between her thighs.

She broke the kiss and tried to catch her breath, to be honest, Marian wasn't that good of a kisser, not as good as her boyfriend apparently, who was practically worshipping her neck. Regina turned her head to Robin and moved his lips from her neck to her lips, kissing him thoroughly, pulling him down onto the bed properly so he wasn't at a strange angle. She giggled against his lips at the oomph sound he let out, but he reacted to the kiss almost immediately, his tongue begging her for entrance to her mouth, something she granted straight away, pairing their tongues.

He had been pleasantly surprised when Regina had decided to bring him in for a kiss, he had been wanting to feel those lips against his own, watching his girlfriend make out with this hot, sexy woman had not helped in the slightest. Seemingly Regina was a pretty sensational kisser, he carried on kissing her, his hand cupping her cheek as her arm moved around him and she moved slightly, meaning that Daniel's lips slipped away from her neck. Robin also moved, wary that Marian was still practically straddling Regina, he poured everything into the kiss, his hand finding her bra-clad breasts as he squeezed one.

Regina let out a loud moan and arched into his touch, wow, that felt really, really good and she literally cupped the back of his head as she held him in the kiss, getting lost in his mouth. Suddenly she felt his hardness pressing against her leg and pulled her lips from his, dropping her head back to the pillow as she closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. Robin looked down at her and grinned, his fingers caressing her cheek gently.

Regina smiled at him shyly, before turning to Daniel, he was her boyfriend and seemingly she had been neglecting him. He literally pounced on her, kissing her lips, claiming them as if proving a point to Robin that Regina was his woman. It was odd, because Daniel rarely got possessive over her, but the way he was kissing her at that minute told her otherwise. She was rather taken aback, not knowing how to respond, he wasn't being tender or caring, in fact, it just wasn't gentle at all.

When he broke the kiss, he looked down at her and shook his head, "well, seems like everyone wants to kiss you this morning doesn't it."

"I can't help it if I'm irresistible," she flung back, casting him a smug smirk, "someone's jealous," she whispered in his ear as he moved to kiss her neck.

"Not jealous, just claiming what's mine."

"Is that so?" she rose her eyes at him as he began kissing her neck again.

"Hmm," he chuckled.

She laughed and shoved him, "you're a dick."

"I know," he shrugged, "you love me for it."

Robin watched them interact, they were so familiar with each other, completely at ease and he was back to feeling somewhat like a gooseberry. He felt Marian's hands on his arms as she looked at him, "so?" she asked tilting her head at him.

"So what?" he asked, opening his arms to her as she moved into them.

"She's a good kisser."

"Yes," he agreed, realising that as much as Regina and Daniel had their connection, he and Marian had one of their own. "I suppose she is."

* * *

After Marian and Daniel had eaten the food that Robin and Regina had brought back with them, it was time to part ways, both Marian and Daniel had to go to work and everyone had things to be doing. Regina stood in the hallway as she held a coffee cup in her hands and watched Robin lean over to tie his shoes, he had a great ass, that was something she just noticed. Marian came up behind her, circling her waist with her arms, "thanks for having us."

"Oh no problem dear," Regina smiled, patting her hand gently as the other woman let go of her and she put her coffee down on the console table that laid by the door. This was just so awkward and Regina tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked to Robin and then back to his girlfriend, "it was fun."

"We should do it again sometime," Marian stated, casting her a large grin.

"Yes, I think we should," she nodded, meeting Robin's eyes over her shoulder, he had finished tying his shoes and was watching them.

"Oooh I can't wait," Marian hugged her again, but from the front this time, Regina remaining rather ridged as she simply touched the other woman's back with a hand. Why was this part always so strange? She usually opted not to see their guests out in favour of staying in bed and catching up on her missed sleep, but today was different, she didn't know how, but it was. "We should have a girls night at some point, or go for manicures or something. I'll check my schedule and let you know when I'm free."

"Oh, okay then," Regina smiled weakly, she liked routine and routine meant that she had the same nail appointment booked at the same time every two weeks, but she supposed she could make an exception.

"Daniel," Marian turned to say bye to him, "I will see you at work," she grinned, hugging him easily as Regina turned to Robin.

"So," she whispered.

"So," he chuckled, "I think Marian seems more than willing to go with what we discussed earlier."

"She does doesn't she," Regina smirked, moving closer to him, "I suppose I'll see you soon?" it was more a question than a statement, she hoped it wouldn't be too long until their next encounter, she liked him and to be honest she liked Marian, they were fun and she liked people who were fun, she also liked people who had enough stamina not to just come as soon as she touched them, Robin had proved to her the night before that he certainly did.

"Hopefully," he nodded. He really couldn't wait to see her again, for them all to get together again. He looked at her and glanced at Marian and Daniel who were hugging, "so I suppose this is goodbye."

"For now," she agreed.

"Should we hug or something?"

"Yes, I suppose," she laughed, moving to hug him, feeling odd at first, but she soon settled into his hold and found herself inhaling his wonderful scent, her eyes closing as she sniffed his shirt. "Why are we being so weird?" she asked, chuckling against him.

"I have no idea," he grinned, pulling back from the embrace and looking at her, "I'll see you later Miss Mills."

"Hmm, catch you later Mr Locksley," she smirked as Daniel moved past her to shake hands with Robin as they saw the couple out, staying at the door to wave them off.

Once the car had driven away, she shut the door behind them and glanced at Daniel, "so?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her, "wasn't so bad right?"

"We'll talk about this later," she shook her head, picking his coat and car keys up, "you are late, go."

He looked at the clock behind her before taking them from her, "ooh shit, bye," he pecked her lips, before running out of the door.

"We need to talk later Daniel," she called after him.

"Of course, we'll talk."

"I mean it!" she shouted a little louder as he got into his car.

"We'll talk, love you honey."

"Bye," she shook her head, rolling her eyes at him, knowing that they most likely wouldn't talk, they never did, he would always find a way to worm his way out of it. Sighing, she slammed the door behind her, he wasn't going to avoid having this conversation, it needed to happen, as soon as possible.

She picked up her coffee from the sideboard and caught sight of herself in the mirror, her eyes going wide as she noticed a deep purple mark on her neck. Her mouth dropped open as her fingers came up to trace the perimeter of the bruise, "Robin," she growled playfully, he had definitely left his mark on her, it would be hard forgetting him with that placed in plain sight, how the hell was she even supposed to cover that? She would have to get him back next time she saw him and she knew she would.


	6. A Conversation Waiting to Happen

After a successful court case, Regina was feeling good, she had arrived home and taken a bubble bath before slipping into something a bit more comfortable, a full-length black silk negligee and dressing gown. She sat at the bar mixing her appletini as she chilled out to some slow relaxing music with her eyes shut. She loved it when she won a case and she could revel in her glory, it also helped that she got paid a hell of a lot more, getting a bonus for a job well done.

In that moment though she heard the door go and knew her peace was shattered, bringing the glass to her lips she took a long sip, allowing the liquid to slide easily down her throat, the sweetness of the apple mixing wonderfully with the harsh burn of the vodka. "Hello beautiful," Daniel stated coming up behind her and pressing a brief kiss to her neck as he took his coat of and draped it over the other chair before moving behind the bar and mixing himself a drink.

"Good day?" she asked, placing her glass down and going back to simply stirring it as she watched him.

"It was okay yeah," he grinned, "I talked to Marian some more, she said that she really enjoyed last night, she also mentioned something about them being our regular couple," he shrugged, moving to the seat beside her.

"She did?" Regina questioned, trying to act as though she was surprised, but she wasn't, it had been her idea after all.

"Yes and I figured why not, we've been needing a new couple since Mal and Robert decided to take a break."

"You said yes?" Regina tilted her head at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, this was pretty much the conversation she was going to have with him, but she hadn't banked on it going this way, with him dominating things as usual and making decisions for her.

"Yeah, I said yes," he grinned, "you like them, I know you do."

"Yes, I do like them Daniel, but I would have appreciated being consulted, you could have at least asked me what I want before agreeing to something like this on my behalf," she pushed herself up out of her chair, taking her martini glass along with the shaker and turning her back on him, "a relationship takes two people, not one," she stated as she closed the door on him and moved towards her bedroom, she was so tempted to sleep in one of the guest rooms, but why should she? This was her room and she wasn't going to leave her bed, it didn't mean she was going to talk to Daniel though.

She was sick of him dictating their sexual encounters, this was going to be hers, the one thing she could control, the one thing that was going to be her idea, but no, apparently Daniel had to have that as well, steal the idea from her before she could so much as even hint at it. She downed the rest of the liquid that was in her glass before hearing her phone ping.

_'How was the trial?'_

She tilted her head and let out an amused laugh before typing a message back, even Robin had remembered she was in court today, Daniel hadn't even been arsed to ask her how her day had been, never mind actually enquire about her work and how it was going.  _'Great thanks, seems I am quite the defender today. ;)'_

_'Well done, I'm glad it went well. Have you managed to mention to Daniel about the whole regular's thing?"_

_'Don't even get me started on that…'_  she quickly deleted what she had typed and changed her mind on what to say, she didn't want to come across as being too negative,  _'yes, I have and he thinks it's a good idea, I'm sure we'll be in touch soon about another date. I can't wait to see you…'_ she paused, she was going to stop it there but shook her head and carried on _, 'both again. :)'_

_'Yeah, see you soon, goodnight milady. X'_

_'Goodnight Robin. x'_

She put her phone down chuckling to herself, at least someone thought to ask her about her day, or even cared enough to, clearly Daniel did not. She took her robe off and flung it across the room so that it landed on the chair that was pushed under her dressing table. There was a knock on the door and she rolled her eyes before laying down and turning to face the opposite way, so much for a proper talk once he got home. She didn't think she was being unreasonable to want some say in their relationship, was it really too much to ask?

"Regina?" Daniel sighed, sitting on his side of the bed, his hand going to her shoulder only for her to shrug him off. "Babe, talk to me," he muttered, touching her again, despite her not wanting him to.

She rolled her eyes and turned to look at him, "so now you value my opinion?"

"Regina, I always value your opinion."

"Really? Is that why you are always making decisions for me? Inviting people into our bed without asking me?" she scoffed sitting up and tucking her hair behind her ear, this conversation had been a long time coming, but she was going to get it over and done with if it was the last thing she did.

"Come on babe," he sighed moving closer to her.

"When was the last time we had sex?" she asked casting him a sharp look.

"Last night."

"With each other Daniel, just the two of us, when was the last time we had sex?" she knew he didn't know the answer, she wouldn't have unless she had looked in her diary to find out, to be honest, she was really shocked, she knew it was a long time but hadn't thought it would be anything like that.

"Urm," he scratched his head and she could see him trying to think, "it wasn't that long ago…"

"Oh, I think you'll find it was," Regina nodded, biting down on her cheeks and trying to stop herself from flying off the handle at him because every word out of his mouth was driving her insane to the point where she just wanted to walk out.

"Two weeks?"

She shook her head, "two and a half months Daniel, you haven't had sex with me in two and a half months," she spat, "and do you know how many times you have had sex since then? With other women?"

"Regina…"

"Thirty, thirty fucking times!" she shouted, not being able to stop her voice from raising a little, she was pissed at him, he deserved to be yelled at a little, or a lot. He looked a little taken aback, but he should look like that, she hoped he felt guilty for it, for making her feel like a worthless piece of trash.

Daniel sighed and moved closer to her, taking her hands in his, "baby, you know how much I love you."

"Do you love me? Because most of the time I feel worthless like you don't care about me at all, as though all I am to you is some prize you can share with your friends," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm sick of this life."

"What is it that you want?" he asked cupping her cheeks as he made her look at him, "tell me what you want," he whispered stroking her cheek. Why was she so weak for him? So willing to just give in? All he had to do was look at her like he was doing now and she was like putty in his hands, "what is it that you want Regina?" his lips were hovering milometers from the skin of her neck, his breath tickling her.

"I want us, I need to feel close to you again," she breathed, "so, I think maybe we should stick to having one couple that we see, Robin and Marian, that's it no one else, then you are getting what you want and so am I," she sighed.

"Fine, I can do that," he agreed brushing his hands over her arms, "as for feeling close to me, you can have me anytime you want," he kissed her temple lightly, beginning to move down her neck, "I do love you, Regina, I might not tell you constantly, but I do."

With another sigh from her, she pulled back and placed a hand on his cheek, "do you promise that you won't bring anyone else into our bed?"

"I do," he nodded, his fingers slipping to her waist, "I promise, from now on I'm not going to let you doubt how much I love you and I will talk to you about things."

"Okay," she whispered, allowing him to close the gap between them and kiss her, maybe he could change, there was no harm in letting him try, right?

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Regina woke early, her head was pillowed on Daniel's chest as his arms held her close, she hummed as her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. He was still asleep, but she wasn't all that surprised, he was rather lazy, stretching a little, she pressed a brief kiss to his chest before slipping out of his arms and moving off the bed. She found her negligee that had been discarded the night before and threw it on before going to the wardrobe and taking out her white shorts and a red sports shirt.

She continued to the bathroom and freshened herself up a little before donning the clothes and heading to the kitchen to fill her water bottle. Once she had done that, she left through the front door and set off into a soft jog along the sidewalk, she needed to clear her head. She was so stupid, so weak! Why did that always happen when it came to Daniel, how did he have so much control over her, all it had taken were a few well-placed words and touches for her to give into him.

She took a swig of her water before dropping the bottle in her neighbour's garden, she would pick it up later but right now it was in the way. Increasing her speed somewhat she spurred into a run allowing her legs to go as fast as they could, she needed to feel the burn, needed to punish herself for being so weak. She wasn't a weak person, she was strong, she wasn't someone who was easily manipulated, but that was what Daniel had done, he had manipulated her.

Regina didn't stop going until her foot caught on something on the sidewalk and she flew to the ground, instinctively flinging her hands forward to save her face. Pain seared through her as she simply laid on the pavement not moving, "fuck," she breathed letting out a little squeak as she buried her face in her arms. She knew she had probably ripped her knees to shreds and her hands, she could feel them throbbing painfully. Letting out a shuddery breath, she moved to sit up wincing as she leant her back against someone's wall and looked down to see the skin torn off her knees and blood streaming down her leg.

Her hands weren't much better with her palms having been shredded by the grit on the pavement. She hung her head and tried to control her breathing, wiping the back of her hand across her face, "Regina?" Her head shot up in response to hearing her name, seeing her new-found friend stood there looking at her, when she looked up at him his eyes went wide and he was dropping to the ground beside her, "oh my god!"

"It's nothing," she whispered, feeling his hand stroke her back gently.

"I bet that hurts."

"Just a little," she sighed, turning her head to meet his blue eyes and chuckling, "of all the people who could walk past right now it had to be you right?"

Robin grinned at her and shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear; she must have fallen to the ground with some force to do that amount of damage, he was just glad he had chosen that moment to go out for a jog. Securing his arm around her he helped her up from the ground, hearing the little wince she let out as she stood. "Come on you, let's get you home."

"I haven't finished my jog," she protested.

"Seriously…"

"Joking," she sniggered, holding onto him as she limped.

"How fast were you going?" he asked, holding her up.

"I was trying to beat my record," she shrugged, "so where is Marian, does she not come along jogging with you?"

"You're kidding," he laughed, "I'm lucky if I can even get her out of bed on a Saturday," it was the truth, he had left her at home in bed and gone out for a jog, seemingly Regina had done the same thing with Daniel. "So, how was the whole talk with Daniel thing?"

She sighed and shook her head, she didn't know what to tell him, it was awkward enough as it was. Even though they had come to some sort of agreement she still felt as though he got more out of it than she did, she had wanted them to be mutually exclusive, but this was Daniel and that was probably never going to happen.

"That bad huh?" he furrowed his eyebrows, she looked really conflicted and it worried him.

"No, it was fine, just Daniel wanted to run the show as usual and he just agrees to things without my saying so first."

"Regina, is he making you do things you don't want to?"

"No," she shook her head, grateful for his concern, but she was the one who had chosen to go ahead with certain things, "I told him that I don't want to see other people," she stated, "I said that from now on we have our regular couple and that's it."

"So he agreed to us being your regular couple then?"

"Yes, seems he had already talked to Marian about it and told her yes on my behalf without even consulting me," she scoffed, thinking of the moment the previous night when she had walked away from him. Coming past her neighbour's house she picked up her water bottle and looked at Robin, he was watching her and she shook her head, "we sorted it, it's fine."

"Doesn't sound all that fine Regina," he hated that she was so calm about it, he knew that Daniel was the one who wanted this, not her and he felt really sorry for her, not that he thought she would appreciate his pity because he knew she wouldn't.

"Don't worry about me Robin I'm fine and I can get the rest of the way on my own," she stated, letting go of him as she began to hobble up her driveway.

"Regina stop being so stubborn," Robin tutted, hooking his arm around her again as they reached the door, he wasn't allowing her to struggle, she had clearly sprained her ankle when she fell. Knocking on the door to alert Daniel of their presence, he pushed it open and helped her inside.

"Regina?" Daniel looked at her his eyes going wide, "what did you do?" He panicked immediately taking her from Robin and moving her over to the couch without even a hello in the way of the other man.

"I tripped," she frowned, focusing her attention on the blood trickling down her leg, it had already reached her foot and was going to pool on the ground if they didn't stop the flow. "Daniel can you please get me a cold compress and some tissues."

Robin moved back to her and picked her foot up, wiping the blood with a tissue he just took out of a packet. "Don't want blood on your rug," he chuckled.

"You read my mind," she smiled. Robin carefully placed her calf on his shoulder and tended to her worst knee.

"You got gravel in it," he winced, turning and seeing that Daniel had come back and was side eyeing them. "Mate, did you get the damp cloth?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," he passed it to him and Robin carefully wiped it over her wound, allowing the pieces of grit to wash out.

"A bath would probably be a good idea, it'll soften the skin and hopefully any grit that's trapped in there should come out."

"Yeah I'll make sure she gets in the bath," Daniel nodded, "thanks."

Robin carefully allowed her leg to drop back down again, his hand lingering on her calf momentarily as his eyes met Regina's. He knew that Daniel was dismissing him, could quite easily tell that he didn't want him tending to his girlfriend, it was quite another story when she wasn't hurt and it came down to sex though wasn't it. Sighing, Robin stood and squeezed her upper arm fondly, "hope that feels better soon."

"Oh I am sure it will Dr Locksley, thanks for the house call," she smirked, casting him a wink as she shook her head and laughed, seeing the need to lighten the mood.

Robin chuckled and moved to the door going to leave before she called out to him again, "Robin."

"Hmm?" he turned to see her hobbling out with Daniel, who had his arm protectively around her, so now he cared? She had to get hurt for him to care about her? He was infuriating, he really was and it really annoyed Robin, he just wanted to tell her to get out, to leave, but he knew she wouldn't.

"I really mean it, thank you for helping me home."

"Anytime milady. I suppose I will see you both again soon."

"Yeah," Daniel nodded grinning at him, "I am sure we will find a good date to meet with you and Marian, in fact, I was thinking about throwing a pool party next weekend if you're interested?"

Regina nearly got whiplash from the speed of her head shooting around to look at him, pool party? Since when? And she thought that the conversation they had last night had done something to change him, to move them further towards that equal relationship she craved so much, but every time it was in her grasp it ended up even further away. Recovering she nodded and smiled at Robin meeting his gaze, "yes please come, I would really love you to be there and Marian of course."

"Sure, yeah I'll talk to Marian and text you later."

"Great," Daniel smirked shaking Robin's hand one last time as Regina met his eyes, not able to shake his hand like Daniel had because of the lack of skin on her palms.

"Bye," he cast her a wink like she had him before shutting the door and leaving the house.

Sighing she turned and looked at Daniel with one eyebrow raised, "a pool party?"

She soaked in the bath, her eyes closed as her fingers brushed over her abdomen, she had opted not to put bubble bath in the water, instead choosing a couple of drops of lavender, something that would help calm her. It had stung when she had first lowered herself into the water and had hurt even more when she had to carefully wipe her knees, trying to make sure that no grit got stuck in her flesh. It had bled again and she had screwed her eyes up, once she had finished though she decided to make the most of her bath and relax.

A pool party wasn't top of her agenda when she had bust hands and knees like a child who had fallen over in the playground, she knew that there was no way that the scabs would be gone by then, never mind the already dark bruises that had surrounded the cuts. More than that though she was so fucking angry at Daniel, just when she thought they had gotten somewhere, she thought she had got through to him the night before when she said they needed to talk about things more, agree on things and then he went and did this, organised a party without even consulting her first!

She pushed her uninjured foot hard against the bath and flung her head back in frustration, what was it going to take for him to get the message?! He promised he understood the night before, promised that he would discuss things with her and now here they were in the same position before they even had that discussion. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the bath and grabbed her towel before draining the water, maybe actions spoke louder than words. She flounced out of the bathroom and into her room, grabbing some clothes and changing into them, Daniel was laid on the bed reading something but he looked up when she walked in.

"Hey," he put down the paper and stood from the bed, she simply reached over him and grabbed her phone from the bedside table and without a word left the room, slamming the door behind her, my did that feel good to just slam the door on him, maybe she should do that more often. "Regina!" The door was opening again, but she was already in the closet taking out her trailers which she slipped into and grabbed her car keys from the bowl on the hall table before moving out of the front door and slamming that one for good measure.

She got in her car and turned to see that he had opened the door and was coming towards her, she simply put the key in the ignition and drove off, she could hear him shouting at her but right at that moment she didn't care, she just needed some space and if that meant making Daniel worry, then she would.

 

* * *

 

 

Robin was quite concerned about Regina, he had been ever since he had left that morning after getting her home safely. He just hoped that she made sure that her wounds were correctly looked after, his first aid training meant that he knew how to treat such injuries and he knew that she would need to make sure that all the grit had been washed out. He had told her that she would need to do that though and he was pretty certain that she would have listened to him, nevertheless, he knew how much it hurt to actually do it so he hoped she was okay.

Once he had arrived home from Regina's, he and Marian had an in-depth conversation about what they were going to do and they had come to the agreement that they wanted to become Daniel and Regina's regulars, but they needed to make sure that they didn't lose what they had together in the meantime. Robin didn't want their relationship falling apart just because they had opened it to other people. Like Regina, he had stated that he didn't want them to go with anyone other than the other couple and luckily Marian was all for it.

He was just plating up some dessert when he heard his phone ringing in the other room, "Marian, could you get that?" He shouted out, knowing that she was in the sitting room where his phone was.

"Yeah sure," she called back, he could hear her as he finished dishing the food and decided to take it in the sitting room for them to eat, "Daniel, slow down, what?"

Robin's head shot up as he put the plates down on the table and looked at his girlfriend in concern, why the hell was Daniel ringing him? "Marian?"

"Regina?"

"Regina? What happened?" Robin asked moving closer to her, trying to see if he could hear what was being said on the other side of the phone. She shushed him, pressing a finger to his lips as she nodded.

"No, she hasn't been here," Marian shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows, "how long has she been gone?"

Gone? Where the hell would she go? Had she just upped and left? She was injured, had a sprained ankle, which meant that she probably would struggle to walk or drive anywhere. "Marian, what's happening?"

"Robin shut up for a minute will you," she rolled her eyes causing him to glare at her, she was on his phone and she didn't even know Regina, not like he knew her, he had got to know her quite well in the short time he had known her. "Twelve hours?!"

"What?" he snatched the phone from Marian so that he was talking to Daniel, "she's been gone twelve hours?! Did you not think to tell someone before now?!"

"She's a grown woman Robin, I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself," Daniel scoffed.

"She was injured, her ankle was sprained, why would you let her leave alone?"

"You try stopping that woman she is stubborn…"

"She loves you, Daniel," Robin shook his head, resisting the urge to throw his phone at the wall or carry on laying into him. He was such a jackass, "do you know what…"

"Never mind, I was just checking if she was there and she isn't so, I'll see you at the pool party."

With that he cut his phone off and Robin let out a low growl and ran a hand through his hair before turning to look at Marian, "calm down Robin," she whispered rubbing his arm gently, but it didn't really do much to calm him down. Twelve hours was a long time to be gone and not get in touch with anyone. He shrugged Marian's hand off of his arm before moving out of the house and sitting on the porch, finding her number and dialling it, hoping that she would pick up.

It rang for three tones before it connected, "Robin?"

"Regina? God, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied.

He let out a breath of relief and shook his head, "Daniel said you'd been gone for twelve hours, where are you?"

"Twelve?" she scoffed, "more like fourteen," he could almost hear how annoyed she was through the phone, imagining the look on her face was probably quite similar to the one on his own at that moment.

"Where are you?"

"With a friend," she stated, "I'm setting off home in a little while, I just wanted to see what he would do if I went missing and I suppose twenty missed calls isn't that bad."

If Marian had been the one missing like that he knew it would have been a much higher number of calls, he wouldn't have stopped until she picked up and he knew she was safe. "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I will be, can't say the same for Daniel," she let out a little laugh, "I'm going to go home now."

"Okay, I'm glad your safe," he whispered.

"Thanks… oh, Robin before you go."

"Yeah?"

"Daniel, did he sound worried?" she questioned and he could almost see her in his mind's eye, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she waited for his answer.

He didn't want to hurt her feelings at all and to be honest when Daniel had first called and had been talking to Marian it sounded as though he had been, sighing he nodded, "yeah, he did."

"Good, well bye then."

"Bye Regina, and if you ever need a chat."

"I'll come find you," she laughed, "night Locksley."

"Drive safe," he commented, "night Mills," he cut the phone off and placed it beside him before staring up at the sky. The only thing that he could think of was that she deserved better, much better.


	7. Pool Party

Regina traced the faint bruises and what was left of the scratches from her fall, she was going to have to wear some swimwear looking like this, to be honest, it had healed more than she had expected it to do but was still noticeable. With a loud sigh she moved towards her draw and took out a red bikini before opting for the white one hidden beneath it, she didn't really want to be drawing much attention to her, yet she still wanted to look hot and she guessed that white instead of red was a good idea.

She changed into it and adorned a red kimono that just covered her knees, she looked in the mirror, running her hands over her body and straightening her hair. The guests would be arriving soon and she needed to look her best, she wanted to make some sort of effort even if she didn't initially want the party.

Moving into the living area she spotted Daniel stood behind the bar, most likely checking the amounts of alcohol they had in there. When she had come home the weekend before after having 'gone missing' for twelve hours it had been safe to say Daniel was fuming, he was so angry at her for leaving without telling him where she was and she supposed that was a good sign because surely that meant he cared, right?

"Looking sexy baby," she looked up and smirked at him, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she moved over to him and leant against the bar, giving him a view of her cleavage.

"Can I do anything to help?" Regina asked, running her hand across the surface of the dark wood.

"I think I got just about everything covered actually," he grinned, "loungers are up, food is out and drinks are on ice, we're ready to go."

"Good," she smiled hearing to doorbell go, "well then, I wonder who that could be," she brushed her hand all the way across the bar before walking off towards the front door to see which of their guests would be first to arrive, she peered through the little hole and smiled before opening the door, "Mal, Robert."

"Hi there little one," the blonde smiled, showing off her purple swimsuit and white cover-up, "looking absolutely beautiful as always," she played with one of Regina's natural curls and kissed her cheek as Robert moved into the house. Robert, Mal's husband, was the definition of tall dark and handsome, he was Italian and his actual name was Roberto but it annoyed him when people called him that, so of course Daniel had to.

"So then Regina," Robert grinned going to kiss her on the lips, but she shook her head at him.

"You know that's off limits now," she chuckled as he scrunched his nose and kissed her cheek.

"Such a shame, so how many swingers will exactly be at this party?" he asked, "I want to know how much we're going to suffer."

"Give it to us straight Gina, how many hot couples that we can't sleep with are coming?" Mal added rolling her eyes. Regina still didn't get why they stopped swinging if they loved it that much, she knew they did, Mal loved the lifestyle and for a time when Regina had first met Mal, she had liked it also. They seemed to have some sort of a connection but Mal wasn't really the touchy feeling sort, her husband on the other hand was the complete opposite. Regina also had to admit that he was quite good between the sheets, not as good as his wife, but he was good.

"Quite a few," she chuckled, "but don't worry Daniel and I are pretty much in the same boat as you guys."

"You two aren't swinging anymore?" Robert asked.

"I told you they weren't," Mal rolled her eyes as she looked across to Daniel, "we brought you a bottle and some desert," she stated moving past Regina and into the room to greet Daniel.

Regina looked at Robert and shrugged, "I said I was bored and we decided to stick to one regular couple."

"Daniel agreed to that?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"So, will we get to meet our replacements?" He joked taking his shirt off and dropping it to the back of the couch as they moved further into the room.

"Oh yes," she smiled, "Robin and Marian will be coming over," she stated glancing down at his torso before pursing her lips and turning around, "excuse me for just a moment," she headed back towards her bedroom and found her phone on her bedside table, she snatched it up and checked her messages, one unread from Robin.  _'On our way, see you in ten. x'_  she smiled and replied, knowing that he probably wouldn't see it until he arrived.

_'Great! Can't wait to see you. x'_  she sent it without even thinking. She had a feeling that once the other guests had gone home Daniel would be wanting to have a little fun and by a little fun she meant he would probably be wanting sex with Marian and she hated to admit it but she was looking forward to spending some time with Robin, just to chill out with someone who cared about her feelings. Just as she put the phone down she heard the door again.

"I'll get it!" Mal hollered and Regina closed her eyes before moving out of the bedroom, to see who it was, luckily it was only Guinevere and Arthur. Regina waved at them casually before moving behind the bar and mixing herself a drink.

"I could have done that for you babe," Daniel stated as he came up to her and began to serve up some drinks for the two newcomers.

"I got it," she smiled, squeezing his arm playfully as she poured some vodka in the shaker, along with the flavoured apple mixer and began to make her cocktail. Once it was fully shaken she poured it out into a martini glass and took a sip humming for a moment before the doorbell went for a third time, "on it," she called placing her drink down and heading for the entrance, making sure that her bikini was looking good before opening the door to see Marian and Robin stood there, just as she had hoped, "well hello there regulars," she grinned, leaning in and kissing Marian's cheek, hugging her briefly before turning to Robin, his eyes were wide, taking in her body and she smirked at him.

"Someone approves of your wardrobe choice," Marian joked, gesturing to her boyfriend.

Regina rose her eyebrows as she took in Marian's attire, she shook her head and gestured to her bikini, it was a green palm leaf pattern and Regina had to admit that it looked good on her, "I'm not the only one looking sexy today," she smiled, noticing that the strap was tangled she reached out and adjusted it, brushing her fingertips over Marian's shoulder, "did you bring an overnight back?" She breathed, her other hand moving to Robin's arm, she felt him shudder under her touch and smirked at them.

"Yeah, we did," Marian nodded holding up her bag.

"Well, you know where our room is so..."

"Yeah, I'll go put it in there. Daniel," she waved moving past Regina, leaving her with Robin.

"Hi," she smiled, all of a sudden feeling shy now that Marian had left, Regina reckoned that she had never felt shy in her entire life.

"Hey, please tell me no one at this party is going to try it on with me," Robin groaned comically.

"Oh I don't think I can promise you that," she rose an eyebrow and smirked at him, "but don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"I had no doubt that you would," he grinned moving into the house realising that he was just stood in the doorway. He had been so stunned by her that he had been frozen to the spot, she was breathtaking, everything about her was just so beautiful. "You look stunning," he stated.

"Thank you."

"Loving the scraped knee look you got going on."

"Why thank you I thought it was rather sexy," she chuckled gesturing to her knees and wriggling her legs causing him to laugh.

"How are your palms?" He asked, taking hold of her hand gently causing her breath to catch in her throat as he examined her barely visible scrapes, running his fingers carefully over her skin, tickling her as he did.

She met his eyes and nodded, "fine, I think they're fine."

Robin nodded, quickly glancing behind Regina and seeing Marian kiss Daniel on the lips, well fine two can play at that game.

"I see that," he grinned, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing the once injured area before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers, clearly taking her off guard as he released her hand cupped her cheek gently, his lips still on hers.

"Someone's feeling brave today," she giggled as they parted.

Robin shook his head, "have you seen how Marian just greeted Daniel?"

"No," she shook her head glancing behind her to see the two being very touchy-feely. She rolled her eyes, "remember what I said," she chuckled, "the first time we met?"

"We'll take it at our own speed, not theirs."

"Exactly," she smiled, kissing him again anyway because he was being way too cute, "hi."

"Hi," he shook his head, "are we supposed to do that? You know in front of people?"

"Why not?" She shrugged, "everyone at this party swings and if they don't swing they approve of swinging, trust me no one is going to judge us for a bit of kissing." She wanted him to feel comfortable around her and be okay with kissing her or flirting in front of others because she knew he was good at it behind closed doors.

"Come on," she slid her hand down his arm to find his and linked their fingers, pulling him further into the room just as there was another knock on the door, "Daniel would you be a dear and get that?" She smiled making him break away from Marian. "There's some people I want you to meet," she grinned at Robin squeezing his hand as she led him outside to the pool area.

"How are things with you and Daniel?"

"Fine I suppose," she shrugged, she didn't want to talk about it just yet, not with everyone else around, she knew that she probably would end up talking to him about it, it weirdly seemed as though she could tell him anything, confide in him, even though they'd just met.

"Hmm," he rose an eyebrow at her, he doubted that was the truth, you didn't just up and leave home for a whole day without letting your boyfriend know if you were fine.

"Robin..."

"Later?"

"Yes," Regina whispered, "now come with me," she smiled playing with his fingers as she looked at the doors and held him close to her before walking out, "Mal, Robert," she called, causing the blonde to turn around and look at them, a grin forming on her lips. "This is Robin, Robin this is Mal and her husband Roberto."

Robert cast her an unimpressed look before Mal spoke up, "well then, I certainly wouldn't kick him out of bed."

She felt Robin's grip on her hand tighten and chuckled shaking her head, "that would mean he'd have to be in bed with you in the first place and I don't think he's into blondes."

"True," he smirked, his hand letting go of hers as he threaded an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side, causing Mal to raise an eyebrow at Regina, "so Mal, you swing?" He asked and Regina couldn't help let out a little laugh at him, straight in there with that question wasn't he.

"Not anymore dear," she shook her head, "although I think I may be re-evaluating that decision."

"Oh," Robin nodded.

Regina smiled up at him before hearing a voice that caused her stomach to churn.

"Regina."

Closing her eyes she moved her mouth to Robin's ear, "hold me tighter," she whispered, he seemed confused but did as she asked, increasing his hold on her.

Her fingers were clinging to his shirt as they turned to look at the people coming to join them. "Leo, Ava, hi," she smiled awkwardly, feeling the need to be at least civil with the man, it wasn't as though he had really done anything wrong, he just made her feel strange. She made sure that her kimono was tight around her, covering her body.

Their last encounter had been not so pleasant for her, his wife Ava was younger than him by around twenty years and that was probably the only thing Daniel was thinking about when he came up with the idea of swinging with them. Regina hadn't been at all happy about it, she had shouted at Daniel afterwards saying that she felt wrong and that she wouldn't do it again.

That night she had pretended not to feel well, saying that she wasn't up to sex, luckily she had been able to get away with giving him a simple handjob and she insisted she didn't want anything in return, mostly because she wasn't turned on whatsoever and she didn't want his hands on her body, she didn't want him to touch her.

Old men just weren't her type, at all.

"Hello," he grinned moving in to hug her only for her grip on Robin to increase as she nodded, she didn't want to hug him, didn't want to touch him again. "Leo, Ava, this is Robin, Robin this is Leo and Ava."

"Hello," Robin half smiled and stroked Regina's waist gently, she clearly had some sort of problem with this man, he didn't know what it was but he wanted to make sure that she felt as comfortable as possible.

"We should get together again sometime Regina," the older man stated.

"Sorry Leo, Daniel and I are off the market at the moment, we're sticking to one regular couple, "Robin and..."

"Robin, Regina," Marian waved coming outside and stopping beside Regina, touching her hair gently.

"Marian," Regina smiled. Wasn't it odd how two people could make her feel a hell of a lot more comfortable in the presence of this one man, maybe it was having someone on either side that made her feel better, being able to hold onto them both.

Robin saw an unreadable expression flag across the man's face, the only way Robin could describe it was a mixture of annoyance and trying to hide that annoyance. He could tell that he wanted Regina, but she quite clearly didn't want him, at all.

"Gina I think I'm going to go get a drink," he saw the alarm flash across her face, "coming?"

"Yes," she smiled, "excuse us," they bowed out moving away from the other couple as Marian got stuck into a discussion with Mal and Robert.

"Thank you," Regina breathed when they got inside and without thinking wrapped her arms around him.

"It was my pleasure," he smiled pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. It felt so nice just to hold her, "so about that drink."

"Yes of course," she awkwardly dropped her arms from him and they walked over to the bar where Daniel was slaking with the latest guests, "what would you like to drink?"

"Just a beer if you've got one."

"Sure," she moved behind the wooden table and took one out of the fridge.

"Why do you have a bar in your house?" He chuckled, sitting down on one of the modern leather stools and watching her as she prepared his drink.

"Daniel wanted one," she shrugged, "it also makes it easier to get drunk," she added with a smirk as she picked up her cocktail again, sipping it before sliding his drink to him.

She watched Daniel over the top of her glass as he talked to a woman, his fingers touching her hair for a moment, she felt her teeth grit a little bit and tampered down the feeling of annoyance that was flowing through her veins, why did he always feel the need to flirt with any woman he saw?

Robin followed her gaze and shook his head, what was wrong with that man? He had a completely stunning girlfriend, why wouldn't he want to touch her and be with her all the time? "Regina?"

"I'm fine," she rolled her eyes, reaching out to touch his hand gently. As soon as the woman left she cleared her throat, "Daniel, a word please."

"Sure thing," he nodded, "hey, Robin," he waved coming to stand beside him.

"In private," she sighed watching as he scoffed and turned to walk towards the bedroom.

Regina closed her eyes and threw back the rest of her drink, "I'll be back in a moment, go and get acquainted with people, I'm sure Marian will have already met them."

"Yeah probably," he laughed, "want me to make you another drink for when you get out?"

"Thank you," she smiled before turning to go talk to Daniel, not necessarily about the flirting, more about the fact that he had invited a certain someone.

Robin watched as they walked away before moving behind the bar and collecting all the ingredients to make her cocktail. As he was doing so he realised that she hadn't actually specified what cocktail was her favourite, he could hardly go and ask her now that she was having a private discussion with Daniel, so he just hoped for the best and picked a flavour.

 

* * *

 

 

Regina shut the bedroom door and turned to glare at her boyfriend, "Leopold is here," she gritted, her eyes narrowing at him, "you know how I feel about him! How I felt about that encounter and yet you still invited him here. Why?"

"Gina I'm sorry," he shook his head, running a hand over his face showing something which resembled remorse, "I didn't even think, I saw Ava the other day and I invited her to the pool party. I forgot what you said, but it's not as though we're having sex with them."

"That isn't the point," she sighed, "you could have at least told me they were coming Daniel, I would like to have had some warning so that his presence wasn't just sprung upon me. You gave me the guest list, they weren't on it, so you can imagine my shock when he comes up to me and asks me when we can next get together again," she scoffed, that was never going to happen, over her dead body was she ever having sex with Leopold Blanchard. That was that.

"Regina, I already told you it was a spur of the moment invite," Daniel argued, taking her hands lightly, "do you want me to go and ask them to leave because I will if that's what you want."

"No don't be silly you can't ask guests to leave," she scoffed shaking her head, as much as she actually wanted him to do that, she knew that it would be incredibly rude to do so. Was she overreacting? It wasn't as though he had invited them into their bed, did she really have any right to be annoyed? She still thought it was a simple request that he told her who was attending a party at her home, one that they were supposedly hosting together not that they had been presenting much of a united front. "What about the flirting?"

"My god Gina, what's got into you? You know I flirt and you..."

"It doesn't mean I have to be happy with it," she scoffed, "do you think I enjoy watching you flirt with other women?"

"Oh, you're jealous," he grinned.

"Don't you dare pull that crap on me, Daniel, don't even dare," she held her hands up in frustration, "I don't think you love me anymore," she stated solemnly, fiddling with the tie on the side of her bikini.

She watched as he sat down on the bed and shook his head before reaching out for her, his hand finding hers as he pulled her within the circle of his legs, his arms wrapping around her waist as he looked up at her. "Stop it, stop, Regina you know I love you, we just had this conversation the other day..."

"Yes, but I don't know if I can believe you or not anymore Daniel, I can't..."

"Regina, I promise you I won't flirt with anyone other than you and Marian from now on," he smiled moving his hand to brush over her cheek.

"You won't be able to help it, it's what you do Daniel."

"I'll try harder, I promise, I really do want to be better for you."

She shouldn't fall for this again, she knows she shouldn't, she knows what he's like, but she can't help it, he's looking at her in that way that just grabs her heart out of her chest, it's the look he always gives her when he knows he's done something wrong and need her forgiveness and god dammit it always works, always has her believing him, even though she knows it doesn't mean he's telling the truth, or that he can keep the promise he's making, that face just makes it impossible and she hates it. No other person has ever been able to do this to her if Daniel had been anyone else she wouldn't be with him after everything he's done to her, but she's weak for him, he is the only thing she is weak for or has ever been weak for.

"This is your last chance Daniel," she warned, "I'm being serious, last chance." With that she moved out from between his legs and left the room, leaving Daniel still sat on the bed.

 

* * *

 

 

Robin was sat in a recliner by the pool beside Mal, they were talking about Regina, things that were special about her. Mal had confided that she had ended up at her place the other day when she had left home. "She seemed pretty upset when I left her, I know she was trying not to show it but..."

"She was," Mal clarified with a sigh, "she was mad that Daniel had organised something without consulting her first, but it isn't really my place to tell you this. I just need to make sure someone is looking out for her because I know how Daniel can get and I know it upsets her. She might not let you know she's upset but sometimes she really is."

Robin nodded, he knew that he had seen it happen enough times, Regina was good at concealing her upset, but once you knew what to look for it was obvious when she was upset. "I just don't get it, it baffles me how he can just treat her like he does, you know? It pisses me off that he just gets away with it, that she just lets him get away with it."

"She's been with him seven years and that's a long time, I think she is in too deep," Mal sighed, "she can't get out, she isn't like the rest of us, Robin, she isn't a natural swinger, she has to be coaxed into it whereas the rest of us fully want to do it and embrace the life. I think you and Regina have a lot in common in that aspect."

"Who says I don't want to..."

"Regina told me," Mal chuckled gently, "sometimes it happens like that, one half of the couple wants to and the other, not so much."

"I'm glad we decided to do it," Robin admitted, he didn't know why he was saying that probably because it meant that he met Regina and she had become a good friend over the short time they had known each over.

"Just try not to let feelings get involved," Mal warned, "trust me that is the last thing you want to do." With that, she stood from the lounger and walked across the deck to find her husband.

Robin furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't exactly know what she was saying to him, what she was warning him against. It sounded as if she was saying not to fall for Regina, but why would she think that he would, he had Marian, and Regina, although he didn't deserve her, had Daniel. Surely you had to have some sort of connection to the person you were sleeping with, you had to have some sort of feelings for them.

"Someone looks confused."

Robin glanced up and chuckled shaking his head, "nah, just thinking."

"What about?" Marian asked sitting down on the lounger with him and shuffling under his arm.

"Just about Regina and Daniel I suppose," he shrugged, hugging his girlfriend as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"And?"

"And I like Regina," he smiled.

"Good, because I like Daniel," she grinned, "and obviously Regina is stunning."

"Do you know what shocked me?" Robin laughed taking a swig of his beer as he played with Marian's hair, "you being all touchy-feely with Regina, I didn't know that you were into women like that."

"Robin she's a hot woman, of course, I'm into her," Marian smirked.

Regina came out of the house and spotted Robin and Marian cosied up together on a lounger and took a deep breath, that used to be something she and Daniel did, but seemingly he didn't want to touch her anymore, even though he insisted that he did. "Who are you into?" She asked, hearing the back end of their conversation.

"Regina," Marian patted the sun lounger beside Robin, "I think there's enough room on here for the three of us, don't you?"

Regina rose her eyebrows, the loungers were big, they were big for a reason, but fitting three on one would be quite the squeeze. Nevertheless, she waltzed over to them and sat down beside Robin before pulling her legs up, Robin having to grab hold of her so she didn't fall off. This meant that the front of her body was pressed against his side similar to the way Marian's was opposite her.

"I don't suppose there's any way to get rid of these guests now and enjoy ourselves is there?" Marian asked as she reached out to touch Regina's hand that was resting on Robin's chest for support.

Regina could feel Robin reacting to the two of them and shuffling uncomfortably under them, but they both had a leg over him so they didn't fall and he was probably feeling rather bombarded by female attention, "I wish I could," Regina nodded, allowing her knee to brush over the bulge forming in Robin's pants.

"Gods Regina," he breathed closing his eyes.

She let out an involuntary moan at the noise he made and looked to Marian, "maybe we should take this somewhere a little more..."

"Hi everyone thanks for coming."

"Fuck," she whispered, sliding off the lounger and leaving Robin and Marian as she straightened her hair and bikini before joining Daniel who was apparently in that moment giving a whole bloody speech. She couldn't deny that she was turned on, feeling Robin hardening under her touch was a massive turn on and like Marian she wished the rest of the guests would just leave, she wasn't in the mood for a party anyway. She donned a fake smile and walked up to Daniel who grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Regina and I are both so glad that you could make it today, hopefully, we're going to enjoy some food, some alcohol and have a good time," he chuckled before kissing her and dismissing everyone. "You just left," he whispered against her lips.

"I'd said everything I needed to say," she shrugged in response, "and I really did mean it this time so I hope you took it all into account."

"I did, I promise you I did," Daniel nodded kissing her sweetly, "I promise," he rested his forehead against hers, "now what's got you looking so flushed?"

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head turning her head to look back at Robin and Marian, but finding an empty lounger, "what?" She sighed, grabbing Daniel's hand, "come with me," she pulled him into the house and down towards the bedrooms.

"Okay, I like this sudden change of heart," he chuckled his arms wrapping around her waist as they continued.

 

* * *

 

 

"God this is so embarrassing I can't believe this," Robin groaned standing from the sun lounger. He didn't know what happened, one minute he was just talking to them and the next he had a raging hard-on and it wasn't exactly subtle either. Now that Regina had walked away it was clearly outlined against his swimwear instead of hidden underneath her leg. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him before slipping back inside the house.

"Robin," Marian called walking after him, "let me help you."

"No way! Marian, there are guests here, people everywhere."

"No one is going to see us, Robin," she scoffed pushing him into a random room off from the corridor and straightening up when they saw photographs hanging from string and negatives scattered across a desk.

"Well there isn't a bed in here," he shook his head looking at the photos in wonder, they were beautiful, clearly had been taken on an old camera and then developed in what must be the dark room.

"Well let's find a room with a bed then, come on," she tugged on his arm.

"I want to look at..."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Both Robin and Marian jumped out of their skin as they turned to see Regina in the doorway, "this is a private room!" She cried, Robin could see that she was clearly upset just by them being in there and it made him wonder what else was in there.

"Sorry," Marian muttered moving out of the room past her, but Robin couldn't bring himself to move.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" She asked, feeling annoyance bubbling up inside her, why would he blatantly ignore her, even Daniel knew not to go in that room.

"Regina," he whispered.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the room slamming the door behind her as she flicked the lights on.

"Why won't you listen to me?"

"Why do you hide these, they are amazing."

"They're mine, they're private," she breathed, trying to tamper down her frustration. It wasn't as though he had known it was a private room only for her to go in, he hadn't purposely gone in there.

"Okay," he nodded, "can I look at them or..."

"No," she shook her head. She wanted to let him, but she wasn't ready to. She didn't know why but those photographs were the only things she had that were private, the only part of her that she could keep for herself, not have given around to anyone and she wanted to keep that how it was. "Sorry."

"It's fine, I understand," he smiled moving towards her and cupping her cheek gently, the red lights of the dark room giving a crimson glow to her face, "everyone needs something they keep for themselves."

"I'm glad you understand," she whispered, reaching a hand out and touching his upper arm gently. "I must have forgotten to lock the room, I went out and took some photographs this morning."

"It's okay, we won't come in here again, I promise."

"I don't even let Daniel in here," she sighed as she flicked the lights off and they made their way out of the room, heading back out towards the pool area, "I'm sorry for shouting at you Robin," she whispered, "that isn't usually me, I wouldn't normally... I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," he whispered kissing her temple lightly as he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a small hug, "come on let's go enjoy the party, your cocktail will be spoiling."

"Oh yes," she nodded, she'd almost forgotten that he had been making her one.

"You didn't tell me what you wanted so I had to guess," he chuckled moving behind the bar and sliding the drink towards her.

She rose her eyebrows and looked at the glass, "should I be afraid of what's in there?"

"No," he smirked as he grabbed another beer and watched her take a sip of the drink he made her.

She hummed and closed her eyes as the taste of apple invaded her senses, she nodded and smiled up at him, "congratulations Mr Locksley, seems you guessed correctly when it comes to my favourite cocktail."

"Well, I knew you were eating apples the first day we met so I took my guess from there."

"Good job and this cocktail is amazing, I may just have to hire you as bar staff," she winked before walking outside with him following behind her.

The music was playing and the alcohol was flowing, everyone was having a good time. Regina was sharing a lounger with Daniel and was curled into his side as they had their first proper talk in a while, talking about things they needed to. Now she was feeling a lot better about the situation.

Robin and Marian were on the lounger next to them in a similar position. Regina glanced over her shoulder and met his eyes, "who's up for some swimming?" She asked.

"I'm down for that?" Robin agreed, getting up from the lounger turning to Marian and raising an eyebrow.

They all got up and moved towards the pool, "ladies first," Daniel gestured and Marian sat on the ledge lowering herself into the water as Regina shrugged off her kimono, tossing it to the side before rubbing her fingers over her skin and looking around to make sure that everyone was still doing their own thing, especially Leopold, she didn't really want him to see her wearing so little clothing. Once she was just in her bikini she glanced at Robin and dove into the pool, coming up and tossing her head back as she ran her hands over her hair, flattening it out and watching as Daniel and Robin clapped for her. "Don't just stand there," she smirked.

Daniel got into the water before Robin cannonballed in with them, throwing up loads of water as Regina squealed and he reached out to grab her, pulling her into his arms and lifting her up. She giggled and wrapped herself around him as Daniel and Marian laughed at them from the sidelines. "What are you doing?" She asked messing up his hair as she looked down at him, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she looked down into his eyes.

"Having a little fun," he grinned, stroking her back lightly.

"Okay then," she smiled, stroking her hand over his cheek as she squeezed him between her thighs.

"Oi you," he chuckled, leaning up and stealing a quick kiss before dropping backwards and pulling her under the water with him.

She closed her eyes at the impact and tried to wriggle away from him playfully, but managing to catch the tie on the back of her bikini and lose her top. She resurfaced with her arm clasped around her breasts, "Robin!" She squealed, spluttering on the water in her mouth as she fought against the laughter that was threatening to bubble up to the surface, "my top!"

Robin looked at her and spotted the white bra top floating in the water behind him, "shit, sorry," he chuckled, swimming to grab it and pass it to her.

She took it from him and positioned it on her boobs, just as she was she looked over to see Leopold watching them and shuddered with disgust, "Robin," she whispered, "can you stand in front of me please?"

"Yeah sure," he nodded watching the way she was looking and seeing that man again, he frowned and shook his head, watching as she tied her bikini, "you okay?" He asked, something was going on with this guy and he didn't like it at all.

"I'm fine," she laughed, "but I am so going to get you for this," she scoffed jumping up with her hands on his shoulders and pushing him under. She felt as though she was a child, she hadn't messed in the pool like this in ages and it was refreshing to just have fun, she didn't want to think about Leopold, she knew that there was no way he was going to get to her, she had both Daniel and Robin on hand and she knew that there would be no getting past them.

Robin came back up and shook the water at her causing her to laugh and hug him, "wanna talk to me?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but not here," she shook her head, grabbing his hand as she moved to the side of the pool.

"Babe, I'm gonna fire up the barbecue," Daniel stated as he followed them out of the pool.

"Okay, I'll help," she smiled before turning to Robin, "we'll talk about it later?"

"Sure," he nodded. Maybe she was avoiding the subject, but he was still very wary about this man and how she acted around him.

 

* * *

 

 

A lot of the guests had left and now it was just Robin, Marian, Mal and Robert left sat around the wood burner on the deck, Regina was cuddled between Robin and Daniel. Night had fallen and the stars were shining bright, soft music was playing in the background and Regina had to admit she'd had a great afternoon and was enjoying the party despite her reluctance to hold it.

"So then you clumsy lady, what happened to the knees?" Robert asked as he leaned back in his chair and took a swig from his beer, gesturing to Regina's bruises.

"I tripped on a morning jog earlier in the week," she sighed shaking her head, "it was me being my usual self," she chuckled, "luckily I had a night in shining armour."

"Yep," Robin grinned giving her a little squeeze as he tucked her hair behind her ear, "I was happy to help malady."

All of a sudden they heard the doorbell go, Regina excused herself and went to answer the door, now wearing a red dress with a white shall to cover her shoulders.

"Work it girl," Mal hollered and Regina have an extra shake off her ass as she laughed and shut the folding doors before continuing to the main entrance, she was still laughing when she opened the front door, but that soon stopped as she saw who was there and cleared her throat.

"Leopold," she breathed, swallowing heavily, "I thought you'd gone home."

"I had but Ava left her hat so I thought I'd come and pick it up," he slipped past her brushing against her briefly making her shudder, not in desire, no quite the opposite.

"Where did she leave it?" She asked quietly feeling extremely nervous knowing she had shut the patio doors behind her.

"I think she said it was by the bar."

"Oh, that's funny I don't think I saw it," she shrugged, finding her phone on the counter and sliding it to her, dialling Robin's number and flicking it onto speak phone before placing it back down again.

"Oh must have been mistaken then," he shook his head, "it's a shame you and Daniel decided not to swing anymore."

"Yeah well, we needed a change."

"I would have liked to have you, just once," he moved towards her, effectively pinning her between himself and the bar, "you are quite something and I wanted to know what it would feel like..."

"Well as flattered as I am..."

"She isn't on the market," Robin stated coming into the room, causing Leo to turn around and throw a glare his way, "I think she already told you earlier that she wasn't swinging anymore, so have you got what you came for?" He asked, trying to be polite but wanting to get the man the hell out of there, get him the hell away from Regina.

"Oh, yeah, there it is," he nodded, grabbing a hat that was tucked underneath the chair. Regina took Robin's hand and brought herself close to his back.

"Good, then I'll see you out," Robin nodded pushing the man, making sure not to be too forceful but forceful enough to make sure he got the message that he wasn't welcome there anymore.

"Regina remember what I said."

"Get out," Robin increased the pressure he was pushing him with until the man was out the door, "goodbye." With that he slammed it behind him and turned to look at Regina pulling her into his arms, his hands skimming up and down her back, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, burying her head against his chest as she let out a loud sigh. "Just hold me please," she breathed.

"It's okay, I got you," Robin closed his eyes, running his fingers through her hair.

"Regina?" Daniel called coming over to them.

She cleared her throat and pulled away from Robin before turning to her boyfriend and shaking her head, "let's get back to our friends," she smiled, glancing back to Robin as they walked out.

 

* * *

 

 

They said goodbye to Mal and Robert when their Uber arrived, once they were gone Daniel suggested going back to the bedroom. Regina had agreed, she wanted to forget about what happened with Leopold and have a good time with Robin and the other two, that was exactly what she was going to do.

"Come on," Regina breathed against his lips pushing the door open to the bedroom, pulling her dress over her head and dropping it to the ground. Her hands after that went to Robin's shirt as she tugged at it.

"Someone's eager tonight," Daniel chuckled as he and Marian moved past them and climbed onto the bed.

"Definitely," Regina nodded turning to smirk at Daniel before looking back to Robin and carrying on with undressing him.

Robin shook his head, something wasn't right, this wasn't like her, not at all, "Regina," he sighed as she ran her lips down his neck, his shirt was off and now she was working on his pants, "Regina..."

"Shush," she moaned, her lips finding his as she pushed his pants to the ground along with his boxers; she went to take him in her hand only for him to grab her shoulder and push her off.

"Regina stop!"

She froze and looked up at him, shocked at what had just happened, "oh god I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Just slow down a little, remember what you told me..."

"We go at our own speed," she nodded pressing her lips to his tenderly.

"Yes, and tonight it's all about you," Robin grinned moving her towards the bed and laying her down carefully before moving onto the bed with her, kissing her gently.

His hands skimmed down her body, stroking her skin as he brushed across her bra, undoing the clasp and dropping it to the ground before moving lower, sucking on her skin. His fingers skimmed over her breast rubbing her nipples causing her to moan and arch her back slightly.

He followed the trail of his fingers with his mouth, moving down to run his tongue across her flesh, sucking on her nipples before going lower.

"Feels good," she hummed, her hand going to his hair.

"Regina, can I? Can..."

"Yes, just... yes," Regina nodded, she would take anything he was going to offer her in that moment.

Robin hooked his fingers around her panties and slowly pulled them down her legs allowing her to kick them off as he kissed down her stomach. She was glorious, her body was the model of perfection and he couldn't wait to worship every inch of it.

Regina opened her eyes and watched him move further and further down, until he was hovering over her sex, she knew what he was going to do, it was an aspect of foreplay that Daniel wasn't that keen on, mainly because he was quite a selfish lover, so she was more than excited that Robin was willing to do that for her. She opened her legs wider to allow him more space between them.

Robin smirked and kissed her inner thigh, "you are stunning," he breathed, his hands coasting up and down her legs, brushing over her skin comfortingly, "you literally take my breath away."

"Robin," she blushed, she wasn't used to compliments in bed, dirty talk, yes absolutely, but comments on how gorgeous she was, they were rare. Except with Robin, he liked to take care of her and she had to admit she liked it when he did, she liked the way she felt when she was with him, she felt safe.

This seemed different to the last time they'd fooled around, it wasn't as awkward and they definitely weren't preoccupied with what Daniel and Marian were doing, this time it was all about them, about following Regina's rule and taking it at their own speed. Right now, their own speed was perfect.

Robin gently parted her folds, bumping his nose against her clit and hearing her moan at the same time as Marian, he looked over to see her riding Daniel, but he wasn't all that focused on her, not in that moment. He was more bothered about Regina and making sure that she got the pleasure that she deserved.

Regina felt Robin's tongue pass across her clit and begin to flick against it, she closed her eyes and grabbed the sheet underneath them, her hand bumping against Daniel's as she did. She turned her head to see him watching her, he kissed her lips briefly before looking back to Marian and placing his hands on her waist helping her to ride him. "That feels so good Robin," Regina whimpered, one of her hands beginning to play with her breasts as the other went to his hair.

His hand crept up, moving closer and closer to her core before he pushed two fingers inside her, helping him with his task to bring her to orgasm, he wanted her to come apart in front of him and he knew exactly how to do that. She was so wet, more turned on than she had been the last time he had his fingers inside her brushing against her g-spot. Regina moaned loudly and began to rock against him, building up a rhythm as he fucked her with his tongue and fingers, "oh god," she breathed, her grip on his hair increasing, "oh my god!" she cried.

He continued to suck and lick her clit, just working it with his mouth and repeating anything that earned a moan from her. He established a pattern, curling his fingers inside her, picking up the pace going faster and faster until she was writhing underneath him, twisting and bucking up. The noises also increased, her low moans turned into whimpers and them into cries of "god yes" and "don't stop" every time he would use a certain combination.

"I'm so close Robin, I'm… oh… fuck… yes…" her mouth dropped open in a silent scream as she spasmed, her intense orgasm washing over her body.

"Oh god, you're so beautiful," he breathed, looking up at her from between her thighs, she was just crazily gorgeous, even more so when she came, when she was in the throes of an orgasm, she was stunning and wild. His erection was painfully hard, but this was about her, this night was about her and he didn't want her feeling as though she had to repay the favour just because he had gotten her off, he didn't expect anything.

Placing one last kiss on her inner thigh, he made his way back up her body and dropped down beside her, pressing his lips against her shoulder as he watched her regain her breath and his fingers brushed against the side of her breast. "Your turn," she whispered, moving to go take care of his cock, only for him to grab her hands and shake his head.

"I told you tonight was about you."

"Robin your balls are literally gonna go blue," she chuckled, releasing her hands from his grip and circling his erection.

"Regina I'm serious."

"So am I it's a real problem," she laughed, sitting up and pressing her lips to his chest before moving them downwards.

"Regina, don't."

She looked up and met his eyes before sitting back on her feet and tilting her head to look at him. Why was he doing this? It wasn't fair, she couldn't be the one to receive all the pleasure whilst he got nothing, sex didn't work like that, it was about give and take. She had taken and now she wanted to give something back to him, give him his orgasm. She had to. "Robin I…"

"Please, I don't need it, I wanted to give you pleasure and I did, I don't need anything else," he could see that this had never happened to her before, no one had ever given her something and not expected anything in return, she was confused and it saddened him that she could have been with Daniel for seven years and he hadn't ever done anything like this for her.

"I don't understand," she whispered, looking to Daniel and watching as he continued to have sex with Marian.

"Regina," he pulled her closer, feeling his erection begin to soften somewhat, "I don't want you to think that I expect anything from you because…"

"Robin I don't think…"

"Because I don't, I wanted this night to be about you, for me to take care of you and not have you thinking about having to take care of anyone else."

"Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to," he smiled, pressing his lips to hers gently, "I wanted to."

 

* * *

 

 

Regina let out a bloodcurdling scream as she shot up in bed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sobbed, immediately alarming the three people in bed with her. She couldn't turn it off, couldn't stop herself from thinking about everything that had happened. Leopold showing up, her argument with Daniel, Robin. It had been quite the day and it was plaguing her mind. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the same thing. Leopold and what he wanted to do to her.

All three of them sat up and reached out for her, "Regina?" Daniel stroked her back gently as Marian moved closer. Robin's hand was on her knee as he looked at her, trying to determine what had happened, the only explanation he had was that she had a nightmare, something had clearly scared her to death.

Regina glanced at Daniel before falling into Robin's arms, taking everyone somewhat by surprise, her hand reached out for Daniel's and she held it tight as she hugged to Robin. "It was just a nightmare," Robin soothed, kissing the top of her head as he met Daniel's eyes, clearly, he was just as confused over the whole situation.

"Sorry," she closed her eyes pulling back and sighing, "you're right it was just a nightmare, I didn't mean to wake you all."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Marian asked, touching her hand gently.

"Yes, I'm fine," she nodded, squeezing the other woman's hand as they all took their places in the bed once more, with Regina sandwiched in between Robin and Daniel. She wrapped her arms around Robin and continued to just bury her face into his chest, Daniel hugged her from behind, his lips brushing across the back of her neck in a way he knew comforted her, she hummed appreciatively and snuggled into the both of them.

Finally, after lying there for a long time, she drifted off, however her sleep wasn't to be a peaceful one.


	8. Jealousy

Regina's heels clicked against the tiled floor as she flicked her hair behind her and held onto her bag. A simple nod to the receptionist was all it took for her to be allowed through the gates and once she was, she headed up in the elevator to the eighth floor. She stared at the lights on the buttons as they lit up and she tapped her feet impatiently, as soon as the eight flashed, the doors pinged open and she hopped out, straightening her skirt before walking towards her destination.

She could feel people's eyes on her and tried to ignore it, apparently, she attracted attention wherever she went and she knew that today's attire was especially sexy, she was wearing a black knee length pencil skirt with a deep red v next silk shirt tucked into it, she had purposely left a couple of the buttons undone because she had an agenda and she always got her own way.

Once she arrived at the office she'd been seeking, she knocked on the door confidently before pushing it open and leaning against the sturdy frame, "did you order lunch?" she asked biting her bottom lip as she glanced over at him, shutting the door behind her as she pulled her shirt off over her head, hitching her skirt up, "or would you prefer to eat out?" She rose a single eyebrow, watching for his reaction.

"Regina," Daniel laughed, sounding rather awkward, "kinda on a conference call."

Regina gasped and closed her eyes in mortification, "I best leave you to that then," she quickly pulled her shirt back over her head and turned to the door.

"Come back in like ten minutes babe," he grinned.

She didn't reply, instead opted for hurrying out of the door and leaning against it with her eyes closed, she was so embarrassed, so much for trying to ignite their passion by turning up for a quickie in the workplace. Clearly, it had backfired and whoever he was on a conference call with heard everything she said, although was it really that obvious what she was referring to, it wasn't as though they could see her without her shirt on, maybe whoever it was just thought it was a regular query about food.

Regina ran her hands over her face in frustration as she shook her head, she should just go home, what was the point in waiting for him to finish his call, it wasn't as though he even wanted her anymore anyway.

"Regina," a happy voice called and she felt her hands being tugged at by the owner of said voice.

With a barely concealed eye roll she looked up and her eyes met Marian's, "hello."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise Daniel and ended up making a fool out of myself," she admitted, seeing the eyebrow raise the other woman gave her, weirdly enough whilst she had been growing less fond of Daniel, Robin and Marian were becoming more likeable, one more so than the other, but still.

"Wanna come chat in my office?" Marian asked, looping her arm around Regina's as she tugged her into the office next to Daniel's. She sat in the chair opposite the woman and tried not to show her annoyance, at the end of the day he had been at work so more likely than not he was going to be working, she probably shouldn't have tried to surprise him. "So, what happened?"

"He's on a conference call," she shrugged, "it doesn't matter, sometimes I doubt that he is even attracted to me at all anymore."

"How can he not be attracted to you?" Marian laughed playfully as she moved over to a small drinks cabinet and poured them both something alcoholic out of a crystal tumbler.

"Well, maybe that's something you should ask him," she sighed, "what I don't understand is why he feels the need to be with every woman other than me, it's almost as though being with me is pushing him towards other women, I feel as though he would be much happier if he were single again and could sleep around as much as he wanted to." She hadn't meant to confess all that to Marian, but once the first words had fallen from her lips, she was unable to stop the rest from following.

Marian frowned and reached across the table, finding her hands and taking them in hers before moving around the desk, "Regina, I know Daniel probably seems like a jerk, but he does love you and I doubt that he would ever want to hurt you," one of her hands found its way to Regina's cheek, "I think what you need is a girl's night out."

"I don't think so," she shook her head as her hand moved to Marian's, removing it from her cheek and squeezing it friendly, "thanks for the offer though," she stood from the seat, "I think I best be going, I want to leave before he finishes his call."

"Regina wait, I think we need to come up with a plan."

"What do you mean?" Regina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, her interest was peaked and she wanted to know what the other woman was referring to.

"Stop by our place tonight at about eight, dress up, tell Daniel that you're going out and we'll come up with the rest when you arrive."

"Okay, I think I can do that," she nodded, she was just about willing to try anything right now if it got Daniel's attention, "thanks Marian," she smiled as they stepped out of the office, hugging in the doorway, Marian pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek and grinned at her.

"Don't be late, oh and bring wine," she winked.

"Anything else?"

"I think that should just about cover it."

"Right," she laughed shaking her head, she was just about to leave the office when she had a sudden urge to say something more to Daniel. She opened the door and saw him look up, "FYI, the quickie is off the table, literally," she slammed the door behind her before taking a deep breath and walking out, she was sick of his bullshit and the way he didn't even acknowledge her, she was putting herself out there and he just kept knocking her down.

* * *

The rest of Regina's day off had been spent lounging around the house in sweatpants as she looked through paperwork from some of her cases, sipping on a glass of red wine as she did so. Once she was satisfied that she had done enough work for the day she decided to take a bubble bath and unwind, god knows she needed it, she was still having nightmares at night and she didn't know why they hadn't stopped yet, they had been coming ever since the pool party.

She dropped down dunking her head under the water, soaking her hair before coming up and whipping it back behind her, she took a breath of air and heard a noise coming from outside the door. She turned to stare at it as her heart rate increase and she leant over to press the home button seeing that it was only four and Daniel didn't get home till six at the very earliest. Her breathing was shallow as she moved the flannel to cover her, maybe it was just the pipes or something like that.

She didn't think that they had ever made a noise like that though, it sounded more like… footsteps, she was almost certain that's what they were, she could hear them getting closer. Regina froze in the water staying as still as possible, a million thoughts running through her head, the main one being had she locked the bathroom door? She really hoped that she had, right now that would make her feel a hell of a lot safer.

She tried not to breath as she heard something fall to the floor, making a crashing noise on the hardwood floor, something which was followed by cursing and muttering, words she couldn't make out. She was battling with herself as to whether she should make her presence known to the intruder, what if it was Daniel and he had just come home early from work, she would have been panicking herself for no reason.

With shaky hands she reached for her phone and unlocked it, quickly opening up the messenger and texting the first person she could.

_I think there is someone in the house. What should I do?_

She clicked send and rested her head against the bath as she shut her eyes, maybe it was all a bad dream, maybe she was just imaging it, her imagination did like to play tricks on her, but those noises had seemed entirely too life like for that to have been the case.

Her phone was on silent but it vibrated in her hand with the reply.

_Oh, about that, Daniel may have given me a spare key and I was in the area, thought I'd check up on you, I left a voicemail, you must not have heard it._

Regina let out the breath that she had been holding and shook her head, "Robin?"

"Sorry milady, I didn't mean to alarm you," his reply came from the other side of the door.

She let out a relieved laugh and closed her eyes, "well you did, I think I almost had a heat attack as a matter or fact," she sighed as she ran her hands over her face, "you can come in if you want, don't worry I've covered up." The door opened and he peeked his head around the door, she smiled and him and rolled her eyes at his clear reluctance to come into the room fully. "Robin, it isn't as though you have never seen me naked before."

"True," he nodded coming into the room and sitting down on the lid of the toilet. He'd been worried about her when Marian had called him about what happened earlier and he thought he would stop by after work just to check up on her. He usually wouldn't have just let himself into her house, but something hadn't felt right, it was almost a strange vibe he was getting and he felt as though he had to. "Sorry, for just coming in, I know you like your privacy, it's just the door looked as though it had been tampered with and I didn't know what was going on so I wanted to just check up and make sure that you were okay."

"Tampered with?" she furrowed her eyebrows, it had been perfectly fine when she had arrived home earlier that day unless someone had been in the house before Robin, what if someone else had come inside? What if her fears were justified? "Please, may you pass me a towel?" Regina asked, she needed to get out of the bath, she would most certainly feel more comfortable with something covering her, especially if someone had been inside her house.

"Yeah sure," he nodded finding the deep purple towel and handing it to her, he felt slightly awkward just standing there so he turned around, giving her some privacy whilst she got out of the water, so what if he had already seen her naked before and they had done stuff, he was a gentleman and wanted to respect her. "So, you don't think the door was damaged when you got home?" he questioned, clearing his throat a little, trying to distract himself from the fact that she was wet and naked behind him.

"No, I don't think so," she sighed, climbing out of the bath and allowing the water to drain as she tucked the towel around her. She would have to call her security company and get them to sort out her doors, maybe even change the locks, get some better ones, she didn't like the idea that someone could break in with little commotion, clearly there hadn't been otherwise she would have heard it. "Could this day get any worse," she groaned, glancing to Robin and laughing when she realised he had his back to her. "What are you doing?" she half giggled.

"Waiting for you to get out of the bath," he shrugged.

"You are a strange man Robin Locksley; any other guy would have taken the opportunity to get a good eye full."

"Well, I'm not every other guy and unlike those guys, I respect you, Regina, you deserve to be respected." Clearly, she thought very little about how she should be treated and he had a feeling that was something Daniel was responsible for, he hated that she felt as though she wasn't worthy of respect from men, it was almost as though she thought it was okay for them to do as they pleased.

She hummed and raised her eyebrows before heading out of the bathroom and down the hall to the bedroom, Robin being there made her feel a whole lot safer, it was just reassuring knowing that he was a decent guy who would protect not only her but her virtue as it might seem. "I don't know if Marian told you already, but I'm coming over tonight."

"She did," he nodded, watching as she sat in front of the mirror on her dressing table, now clothed in a silk robe as she wrapped a towel around her head, "but she wants me to go out with Daniel," that part he wasn't too thrilled about. He didn't like the man at the best of times, so to be around him without Regina and Marian was going to be a challenge but it was one he would take on. Seemingly Regina needed some chill time and Marian said she'd planned for them to get massages and pedicures whilst he went out with Daniel. If that was the sacrifice he would have to pay for her to get some down time, he would, hopefully, he would be able to get out of it after a couple of drinks, he didn't want to be with him longer than was necessary.

"What?" Regina whipped around to look at him, her eyes narrowed, "and you think that is a good idea?" She knew how handsy Daniel got when he had some alcohol inside him, so taking him out was definitely bad news. There had been a couple of times where she had to practically pull him off some other woman who had welcomed his advances.

"Don't fret your majesty, I'll make sure that he behaves," he replied, he could tell what she was thinking, clearly there wasn't much trust between them, not on Regina's part anyway, she clearly doubted Daniel's loyalty to her and from what he'd seen she had good reason to.

"Oh I'm more worried about being left alone with Marian," she chuckled, "I suppose I don't really have many female friends, apart from Mal," she didn't have many friends full stop if she was completely honest with herself, she did have before Daniel, she'd had tonnes of friends, but seemingly they had grown apart over the years and she was left practically alone.

"I'm sure Marian will look after you."

"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of," she winked before shaking her head, "I think Marian wants her way with me."

"I think you're probably right," Robin laughed as he perched on the edge of the bed, watching her as she applied her makeup, she was a little mesmerising to watch, even doing something as simple as what she was, it seemed as though she had mastered a specific craft and knew exactly what order to apply things in, she'd probably done it hundreds of times, but he couldn't help but be completely immersed in it.

"You've gone quiet, what is it?" she asked, meeting his eyes in the mirror and seeing how he almost snapped out of a trance at the intrusion of her voice.

"Nothing," he smiled tilting his head at her, "you just distracted me from my thoughts that's all," he took a breath, arguing with himself as to whether he should ask his next question, he didn't want to be too intrusive, but he wanted to know the answer. Shaking his head he decided to try his luck, "why do you need so much makeup?"

She frowned and put the little foundation bottle that was in her hand back down on the table, now that wasn't what she'd been expecting from him. She didn't really know how to react to his question, should she be offended or flattered? "I don't know, I guess it's a force of habit…"

"Like a mask?"

"What? No, I don't… why would it be?"

"I dunno, I guess if you're so used to putting it on that maybe you use it to hide the real you, even though what you're hiding is already pretty perfect."

"I don't think that's it," she whispered looking down and shrugging slightly, she'd been wearing makeup for as long as she'd know, most days opting for a full face, people in the past had chipped away at her self-confidence and over the years she'd grown accustomed to putting it on, hiding every imperfection so she seemed flawless. Maybe he had a point, maybe she just didn't want to admit it. What she didn't get was how he'd worked it out from simply watching her put it on once.

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't," she shrugged, "maybe you're even right to some extent, I haven't really thought about it," she stood from her chair and walked over to sit beside him, "I guess over the years people have knocked my self-esteem somewhat."

Robin shook his head and wrapped his arms around her, "I can quite honestly say that all the people who have ever done that to you are bloody idiots who also must be blind because I mean… you're just completely stunning."

She laughed quietly as she buried her head against his shoulder discreetly sniffing him and humming before pulling back and tucking her hair behind her ear, "why thank you, you're not so bad yourself." Their eyes met and her heart jumped in her chest, she was drawn in by his gaze unable to tear her eyes from his. Somehow her hand had found his and she was playing gently with his fingers on top of the comforter. Regina tried to look away from him but she couldn't, in fact, she found herself shuffling closer, their knees rubbing against one another.

Robin's hand made its way to her cheek and he stroked it gently before dropping his fingers to the scar that decorated her top lip. He caressed it lightly, brushing over the indent as they both moved closer, so close that they were breathing the same air. Regina's hand came to his arm as she leaned in, her lips were mere millimetres from his when the front door was slammed shut.

Regina shot backwards, moving away from him as fast as she could, "Regina?" Robin tried, he wanted to explain, not that he really knew if he could, but he felt as though he owed her an explanation for what had almost happened.

"This was a mistake," she whispered, standing from the bed and moving to the door of her bedroom and onto the landing so she could look down the stairs. She spotted Daniel in the hallway and rolled her eyes, "hello to you too," she mumbled under her breath before walking back in to her room, "I really do need to get ready, so thank you for staying with me," she smiled, trying to hint that it was time for him to be going, she didn't know what that moment they had was, but she most certainly didn't want a repeat of it. "I really appreciate it, I think I may have freaked out if you hadn't have been here."

"No problem," he grinned standing up and moving closer to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. They'd had a moment and clearly, she didn't want to discuss it, but they had nearly kissed, they had both tried to move in and Robin was pretty sure that if it hadn't been for Daniel coming home they would have actually done it. What did that mean? Surely it was just a comfort thing and nothing more, he was sure that's what it was and he wasn't going to bring it up again.

"I'll see you out," she whispered, cupping her cheek as she watched him head down the stairs. What the hell was she thinking?

* * *

Once she was dressed in a gold sparkly dress that fell to just above her knees and was skin tight. She ran her hands over the material and looked herself over in the mirror before snatching her phone up from the bed and dialling Marian's number, "hello."

"Regina, you best not be calling to cancel because..."

"I'm not, I want to go out if the offer is still on the table. I know I said earlier that I didn't but..."

"Hell yeah, the offer is still on the table! Beats the plans I had for us."

"You were right to begin with, I need to just let loose for a little bit."

"Perfect, do you want to drop by to mine or should we come to you?"

"I'll drop by yours, how long do you think you'll be?" Regina asked as she organised the contents of her clutch bag.

"Give me half an hour, I've just finished drying my hair."

"Sure, see you in a bit," she cut the phone off and slipped her phone into its designated slot inside her purse. She flicked her hair and walked confidently into the kitchen where Daniel was stood nursing a drink.

"I rang the security company, they are going to come and change the locks," he stated without even looking up from his mobile which was resting on the table.

"Good," she nodded with a roll of her eyes as she pulled on the heels that matched the dress she was wearing and snatched the car keys from the bowl. She would be happy when they fixed the house up because she was already freaked out by the nightmares she'd been having so it didn't help that she knew someone had been inside the house whilst she'd been in the bath. "I'm heading out," she commented before opening the door, "don't wait up."

Apparently, that was enough to capture his attention and he looked up from his phone, "whoa what? Where are you going?"

"Out, maybe I'll find a guy who actually pays attention to me and wants to touch me," she quipped heading outside.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" He asked reaching out and grabbing her arm tugging her backwards, "Regina."

"I just don't understand you, Daniel," she sighed as she glared at him, "your girlfriend turns up to your workplace offering you sex and you come up with the excuse that you are on a conference call." Might as well get straight to the point, it wasn't as though he was capable of working out why she was annoyed on his own.

"I was on a conference call!" he argued holding his hands up as he dropped her arm in what seemed like frustration, "I told you I would be ten minutes and you are being unreasonable Regina."

"Fine, whatever, it was your choice to turn me down and now it is my choice to go out and have a good time without you, because guess what Daniel Colter, my life doesn't revolve around you," she spat moving into the driver's seat of her car. She probably was being unreasonable, but it wasn't the first time he had turned her down and it just so happened that it was the cherry on top of the cake. This time she wasn't in the mood to just let it go.

"Where are you actually going?" he asked, stopping her from closing the door as he held it open and she glared at him.

"I'm going out with Marian if you must know, but don't worry about me, I'm not the one who flirts with anything that moves," she managed to push him from the car door and slam it behind her before putting the key in the ignition and driving off. He wasn't in the mood for any more crap, all she wanted was to drink and have a good time, maybe she could even get a little bit of dancing in there. It had been a while since she had just let herself loose and it was about time she did.

* * *

Regina and Marian sat at the bar whilst the music in the club blared, it had been a while since she had been out in a place like this without Daniel, in fact, she couldn't remember the last time, she really needed to get out more. Currently she was sipping her third cocktail and admiring the view of the dance floor, apparently, she and Marian were on the same wavelength, they both wanted to drink, dance and have a good time.

"How many of them do you think we could get to sleep with us?" Marian smirked as Regina nearly choked on her drink before letting out a snigger.

"Urm, I'd say at the very least 70%," she nodded, "they all look pretty desperate," she rolled her eyes as she looked into her drink, using the little stick to make the ice swirl around with the lemon. One thing she hadn't missed about being in a club was the groping, she had forgotten just how many times she used to get her ass squeezed by random guys, it was inappropriate to say the least, but apparently, guys thought they could get away with it.

"So, how many guys have you been with then?" Marian asked as she adjusted the black dress she was wearing and played with her straight locks.

"Too many," Regina murmured absently as she downed the rest of her cocktail and called the bartender over to make her a fresh one, she was starting to feel a little buzzed and hoped it would only increase, "two Tequila shots please, in fact, make it four."

"Someone wants to get drunk," the other woman grinned as she leaned closer to Regina and rested her hand on her upper thigh, "how did things go with Daniel, did you talk?"

"Hardly," Regina sighed as she grabbed the small glass of alcohol and threw it back, "we argued a little, again, it seems to be all we're good at lately. I think I must have lost my touch, when we first got together we fucked all the time but now… it's just… I feel as though he can't bear to touch me and I don't know what it is. I thought closing our relationship off to just the four of us would help, but apparently, it hasn't in the slightest."

"Are you feeling as though the relationship might be over? I hate to ask but…"

"I don't know."

"Well then, I think that calls for more drinks," Marian downed her own shot and picked up the other one before doing the same, "now you, stop moping and come dance with me. I know that we can get Daniel to open up to you again, we just need him to see what he's missing that's all."

Regina watched the other woman as she stood from her chair and looked to the dance floor, maybe it wasn't such a bad plan, that was what they came to do wasn't it, if they had just wanted the alcohol they would have gone to a normal bar. She didn't want to spend any more time wasting her night thinking about her idiot boyfriend, she just wanted to enjoy this night and dance with her new friend. It had been a while since she had been out dancing after all.

* * *

Robin got the message from Marian at around eleven telling him to bring Daniel and meet them at 'The Vault', so far, he and Daniel had simply been in a couple of bars in town. At first, it had been awkward, but luckily after a while, they had managed to find a topic of conversation that interested them both.

He hoped that Marian had told Regina of her plans because he didn't want to just spring their presence upon her, especially when he knew she was annoyed at Daniel and currently in an awkward place with him after their almost kiss. He had a feeling that was something she would want to keep between the two of them and it wasn't as though they had actually kissed, would it even have mattered if they had? They were technically allowed, weren't they? There weren't any set rules as far as he was aware.

"Marian just messaged," he commented as he took a swig of his beer and put it back down on the bar, "she said they were at the Vault."

Daniel rose his eyebrows and downed the rest of his pint, "well then, I guess that's where we are heading."

"How's Regina?" Robin questioned, he'd been somewhat worried about her since he'd gone home. He knew she'd felt rather shaken up about the whole break-in thing, he just hoped that she didn't think he'd taken advantage of that when he'd tried to make a move on her. Not that it had even been international, it had just sort of happened in the moment, he'd been so drawn to her that he couldn't stop himself.

"Fine I think, I didn't really talk to her that much, she seemed a little pissed, but you know, that's Regina for you."

Robin picked up his drink and finished it off, really trying not to roll his eyes at the shit that came out of Daniel's mouth, it sounded as though he didn't care about Regina at all and how shaken up she was. Quite frankly he'd come to dislike Daniel, well not exactly come to, he'd never really liked him, he was only agreeing to their arrangement for Marian and now Regina. "I think she might have been worried about the fact someone broke in."

"I don't know why, it wasn't as though anything was stolen, in fact, nothing was even touched. I think Regina is just overreacting, it could have been an animal or something."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows, he'd been thinking about that all evening, why would someone successfully break in and then not take anything, surely if they were thieves they would have taken what they wanted before leaving. Also, Daniel must be pretty stupid, since when did animals pick locks, the way the door had been damaged was purposely to break in and he had a feeling that someone wanted them to know they had been there by using that method, if not they would have done it in a much cleaner way. "I don't think it was an animal and I'd be more worried if I were you, just because they didn't steal anything didn't mean that they didn't get what they wanted."

It was disgusting how little regard Daniel actually had, what if they had harmed Regina, or broken in with the intention to hurt her. How would he be reacting then? Would he have the same careless attitude? Robin didn't know how he would react if someone had broken into his house, but he most certainly wouldn't have been so calm about it.

"Whatever, the people are coming to change the locks anyway, no biggy."

Robin swallowed the last of his pint and stood from his seat, grabbing his jacket as Daniel copied his movement. He would be quite glad for the excuse to check in with the women, just to make sure that they were alright and that Regina hadn't had any more worries since he'd left.

When they arrived at the club the first thing that caught Robin's attention was the music, it was pouring from the speakers at a volume he hadn't even known existed and purple lights flashed over the dance floor as people ground in time to the upbeat pop song. "This is more like it!" Daniel shouted over the music as he dumped his coat at the door and moved inside.

Robin rolled his eyes and checked his own coat before following him and heading to the bar, he would need a stronger drink than beer if he were to withstand this. It was like somewhere he would have gone as a teenager. There had been many times when he'd come to a place such as this and drank so much he'd sworn off alcohol altogether, that was until the next weekend when his friends declared they were going out and he would, of course, go along and repeat the whole damn thing over again.

Just as he came up to Daniel he followed the man's gaze and saw what he was looking at, their girlfriends on the dance floor pretty much all over each other. One of Marian's legs had found its way between Regina's as they held onto each other and danced in time with the music. "Fuck," he groaned.

"I know," Daniel nodded as they both leant against the bar and simply watched the two women. Regina had her eyes closed and was almost grinding against Marian's leg, "that is hot."

"Yep," Robin couldn't help but agree with him, it was and there was no way he was going to deny it, they were beautiful together and he couldn't look away, seemingly other guys in the club couldn't either. Every guy at the bar was watching them. He saw Regina's mouth open slightly as she ran her tongue over the seam of her lips and her eyes opened to meet Marian's, they seemed to be having some kind of conversation and that was when she began grinding even harder against her leg. "fucking hell."

"They're watching us," Marian chuckled as Regina opened her eyes to look at the other woman, she just hoped she was right with her plan and that it would be successful. She ran her hands up Marian's back and moved closer so they were pressed flush against one another, "I am pretty certain they aren't the only ones."

"I'm sure they aren't," Regina laughed, "I think we probably make quite the picture together, don't you?"

"Oh I'm sure of it," the other woman rose her eyebrows, "I think you should make eye contact with Robin, not Daniel, that might make him even more jealous, in fact, completely ignore him, I've used that technique to make Robin jealous before. He was practically pinning me against the wall the moment we got home after that."

"Right," Regina nodded doing what she was told and looking straight past Daniel, her eyes landing on Robin as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and rubbed her core even harder against the woman she was dancing with. The look on Robin's face made her clench with arousal, "god," she breathed.

"Feel good?" Marian chuckled following Regina's gaze and looking at Robin before back to the brunette.

"It's getting that way," she rasped, her eyes not leaving Robin's, it was turning her on way more than it should be, just watching him watch her with his girlfriend was making her so wet.

"Maybe we should kiss."

"What?" Regina broke the eye contact with Robin and looked back to the woman in front of her.

"Kiss, it's not like we haven't before, is it? I mean…"

Regina glanced to Daniel briefly before cutting off the other woman's words with her lips, kissing her as her hand moved into her hair and she swore people around them cheered at one point which was a little crazy. She wasn't really concentrating on the kiss, she was more worried about the reactions of their boyfriends and what they were thinking about it. She knew where Daniel stood on seeing two women together, but what about Robin, did he like it, would he like that she was kissing his girlfriend in the middle of the club?

"Regina," Daniel's hand skimmed over her back as she broke away from the kiss and turned to look at him.

"What?" she snapped, she was still pissed at him over the way he'd handled pretty much everything earlier that day.

"That was so hot," he breathed, managing to turn her around and pull her against him.

"Well, you wouldn't touch me, so I got someone else to," Regina quipped, holding her nose up, she was about to say something more but Marian's hand was on her shoulder.

"Should we get out of here? We could go to our place if you wanted."

Regina glanced at Robin and ran her tongue over her lips, her eyes still locked with his, she would rather enjoy taking it to another level with him, she knew that he would treat her the way she deserved to be treated. She moved away from Daniel and wrapped her arms around Robin, "I think we should definitely get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC...


	9. Insomnia

Regina took in the décor of Robin and Marian's apartment, it was very different to her own house, but in a nice way, it seemed a lot homelier. She immediately felt cosy being there, whereas her place was much more clinical, not that she didn't like her place because she did, she designed most of it, this was just different.

She still wasn't sure on how to go about their encounter, the whole point of the night had been to get Daniel to want her, to make him want to be with her, but the more she danced and tried to catch his attention, the more she noticed Robin. She'd seen the way that he had tried to hide the wanting glances he threw her way. After their almost kiss earlier that day and all the longing looks, she was more than ready to get her hands on him at a time when they were allowed to touch each other.

Robin watched as Daniel tried to touch Regina, but every time he did she would shrug him off, stopping him from doing so, he could tell that she was extremely annoyed with him and hoped that she wasn't just doing this to make him jealous. One side of him was saying that he should stop whatever was about to happen so they could talk it over, but the other part of him, the irrational side, was telling him that he needed that woman, he needed to taste her and touch her, he wanted to worship her body and have her crying out in ecstasy.

He didn't have to think about it much longer as she made her way towards him, pressing her lips to his, he closed his eyes and cupped her cheek lightly before pulling back to look at her. "Do you want to show me your bedroom?" she asked, biting down on her bottom lip in a way that made it so that he just couldn't refuse.

"Sure," Robin grinned, catching the smirk that Marian sent his way as she approached Daniel.

"How about Daniel and I get some drinks from the kitchen and you two go get started."

"Perfect," Regina agreed, she couldn't wait to get her hands on him, it helped that she'd already had a couple of drinks to help her relax, but not too many that she didn't know what she wanted, she most certainly knew what she wanted and that was Robin. "So, bedroom?"

"This way," he stated, feeling her small hand slip into his, leading her up the stairs to the loft bedroom that had glass panels looking down onto the rest of the apartment. The bedroom was rather simply decorated in pastel colours, geometric patterns adorning the curtains and one of the walls, combining pale yellows and blues. The carpet was soft under her toes and the bed was covered in light blue silk sheets that matched the rest of the room.

"Your apartment is wonderful," she quipped as they reached the top of the steps and looked out onto the open plan space below, watching their partners flirt with each other as they poured some wine. "It's so homely."

"By homely do you mean small?" he chuckled as he kicked off his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed to get rid of his socks.

"No, I would think that it would be nice to live somewhere small, it must bring you closer together. My house is too big."

"Your house is beautiful."

"Maybe, but it's not somewhere that seems all that homely," she sighed, moving to take off her dress only for him to stop her.

"I think that might be my job milady."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to deprive you of your job," Regina teased, turning her back to him so that he could undo the zipper which kept her in the sparkly gold number, he followed the zipper with his lips, kissing all the way down her back to the base of her spine before slipping the dress from her body and earning a shudder from Regina.

"Are you cold?" he asked, standing and attaching his mouth to her neck, sucking lightly at her pulse point as his fingers massaged her hips, playing with the thin cord of lace which was holding her panties in place. She was a vision as she stood there wearing only her skimpy underwear, her olive skin was silky smooth under his touch and her dark curls just about brushed over her shoulders.

"No, not particularly."

"Then why do you have goosebumps?" he breathed against her ear, blowing against her slightly making her shudder yet again as he moved to trace his tongue across her skin, travelling down her back once again, kissing and licking all the way down, tasting her skin just as he wanted to. He could see the way she would tense when he blew against the wet trail he left, causing a chill to run through her. His plan was to work her up to the point where she couldn't stand it and from the looks of things he'd made a good start.

She wanted to turn around and make a start on removing his clothes but she was frozen to the spot, she'd fallen prey to his ministrations as he teased her and worked her up. She couldn't bring herself to stop him just yet, even if he was wearing way too much clothing for her liking. She pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth and sunk them into it, biting down on it as she felt him kiss along the line of her panties, moving around her until he was in front of her and between her legs with his breath ghosting over her sex.

"Ooh la la," Marian cooed as she came into the room, breaking the trance Regina had found herself in, causing her to turn around to look at their partners admiring them from the doorway. "That does look like fun, don't let us stop you."

"I wasn't planning on dear," Regina winked, yet again ignoring Daniel's presence as her hands brushed through Robin's hair before one of them moved to her panties and pushed them down her legs, allowing them to land on the floor along with her dress. Once she was fully naked she boldly placed her leg over his shoulder and shrugged at him, feeling him shudder as she bit down on her bottom lip, "are you cold?" she asked, mocking his earlier question as she paid little attention to what the others were doing.

"No, not particularly," he grinned playing along with her game, "in fact if anything, I'm too hot." With that comment he moved in, his mouth kissing up her inner thigh as his hands moved to her legs, taking her by surprise as he forced them further apart. He glanced over at Marian who was now lying on the bed watching them as Daniel kissed her neck, he noticed that her hand was between her legs, her fingers rubbing over her clit, obviously turned on by their little display. "You're so beautiful," he stated, looking back up at the woman whose thighs he was in between.

"Robin," she breathed, her head falling back as his lips made purchase on her sex, latching onto her clit as he sucked gently, making her teeth press harder into her bottom lip whilst she thrust herself towards him. She closed her eyes, her fingers running through his hair, giving him a scalp massage with her nails as she let out a low moan. Though she would never admit it out loud, Robin was a hell of a lot better at giving head than Daniel, he seemed to know exactly how she liked it and his tongue was so talented that her knees were beginning to shake.

Robin hummed against Regina's core, relishing in the feeling of her fingers as they ran across his head, he's always liked having his hair played with and sometimes even pulled, so it felt amazing. He could tell that she was close from the shaking of her legs, she was going to come undone and he would love nothing more to watch as it happened. He moved a finger to her entrance, pushing one inside of her and curling it against her G-spot, drawing a moan from her. His eyes moved up to meet hers as she stared down at him.

Regina whimpered as she thrust against his face, feeling her inner walls begin to squeeze she moved her hand to grab onto his shoulders, allowing her orgasm to wash over her, swaying towards him and almost falling as it did. Robin held onto her, keeping her upright as he moved his mouth away from her clit, instead opting to spot kisses down her inner thigh whilst she caught her breath back.

He was painfully hard from making her come and he needed some stimulation. He'd been reluctant to go all the way with her at first, but now he wanted nothing more than to just thrust into her heat and make her scream his name, he didn't think he'd ever wanted anyone more than he wanted her, he wanted to feel her around him, have her perfectly painted fingernails digging into his back as he fucked her into oblivion. He should feel guilty, guilty for wanting her more than he ever thought he'd wanted Marian, but he was putting that to the back of his mind, that thought was being overruled by his need to be inside her.

Robin wrapped his arms around her thighs and lifted her up before laying her on the bed, quickly undressing before crawling up her body, allowing his cock to press against her sodden core. As soon as her wetness touched him he thought he might lose his mind. He quickly reached across to the nightstand and took out a condom, as much as he just wanted to fuck her without one and know what it was like to come inside her, fill her with his seed, he knew that she wouldn't allow it.

She bit down on her bottom lip as she watched him, his confidence around her had grown so much since their first encounter and it seemed as though she was finally going to see what it was like to have him inside her. She could see how much he wanted her and she wanted him too, she needed him, but looking across to Daniel was making her feel awkward and nervous about being with Robin.

For once she needed to stop thinking about Daniel, he sure as hell wasn't thinking about her when he fucked other women, every single time she had been with another man whilst they had been swinging she had thought of Daniel, but not this time. This time she would not be thinking about him, she would be thinking about the man hovering over her, the man who, in the short time he'd been in her life, had always put her needs before his own.

She licked her lips as her arms wrapped around his neck, "I've been looking forward to this," she stated.

"Me too," he agreed, trying to keep himself under control, he didn't know how long he was going to last, he was already so close, his dick leaking with precum. "I just hope I don't disappoint you," Robin sighed, a little vulnerability shining through.

"You won't," she shook her head, allowing her fingers to brush over his cheek comfortingly, she was already running on a high from her first orgasm and she didn't mind so much if she didn't get another. "I can't wait much longer for you," she whispered, her hand skimming down his body to where he was hard and pressing against her stomach. "I want this inside me."

"Well, I would hate to let you down," he chuckled, feeling reassured by her, he knew that she would be understanding whatever happened, that he wouldn't have to worry about judgement from her. He positioned himself at her core, brushing the tip of his cock through her folds before finding her drenched entrance. He bit his lip and closed his eyes briefly before opening them so he could look into hers as he sank into her heat, thrusting inside her and filling her in one movement.

"Fuck," he groaned. She felt unreal, she was so incredibly tight around him and he doubted that he would last long, especially when her walls fluttered and squeezed around him as they were doing. He didn't want to come too fast, but it was seeming as though he wouldn't be able to stop himself, wouldn't be able to control it. "I don't think I'll last, you feel too good."

"So do you," Regina breathed, her feet trailing across the back of his thighs as she kept him between her legs. He filled her in a way that she hadn't really been filled before, he wasn't the biggest she'd had so it wasn't uncomfortable and he wasn't so small that she couldn't even feel him inside her. He seemed to be just the right size to leave her biting down hard on her bottom lip and thrusting her hips to meet his, wanting him to move some more. She could tell that he was trying to regain his composure and had come to terms with the fact that he would more than likely finish before her, but she was okay with that, it was her turn to make him feel good. "Fuck me, Robin," she ordered.

He snapped out of the somewhat trance-like state he had been trapped in and remembered what it was that he was supposed to be doing. He wasn't even thinking or taking any notice of his girlfriend and the woman he was fucking's boyfriend getting it on next to them on the bed. He pulled back out a little before thrusting into her again, coaxing a whimper from her that he hadn't heard before as she clung to him. Grinning he allowed the hand that wasn't holding him up above her to stroke down her body, brushing over her nipples and feeling her jerk in response.

Regina could feel his warm breath on her neck and pressed her own lips to his before trailing across his jaw, wanting his lips on hers. Once he gave her what she wanted she kissed him deeply, mimicking the movements of their lower halves and moaning into his mouth. She felt him shudder above her and stroked her fingers through his hair, "are you going to come Robin?" she husked, reluctantly tearing her lips from his, her breathing laboured as her hips met his. "Are you close?"

"I don't want to… finish without you," he groaned, his thrusts becoming more desperate by the second as the hand that was on her breast moved down to her clit, only for her to stop him, pressing her lips to his.

"Don't worry about me, don't hold back, I want you to come, Robin! Show me how much I affect you," she knew it was fruitless for him to try and get her there, the second orgasm was always much more difficult to reach than the first and she was quite happy with the way the night had turned out. She could have just faked her orgasm like she'd had to do with some of the other partners she'd been with, but she wouldn't do that to Robin and she was pretty sure that he would be able to notice the difference. "Please, I want you to," she gasped into his open mouth, feeling him tense up as he lost control, her words sending him over the edge and into his orgasm.

She closed her eyes as she held onto him, her fingers running across his back, drawing patterns lightly. "I really liked that," she whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, just about managing to keep his weight off her as he tried to get his breath back.

"You didn't finish," he sighed, his lips skimming over the warm skin of her shoulder as he moved off her, not wanting to hurt her by allowing his full weight to drop on top of her. He felt like an idiot and a jerk, never before had he finished before he made his partner orgasm, not since his first time, he'd never been so worked up that he couldn't hold it back, but she was a different story and he had failed to provide her with her second climax.

"Doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it," she chuckled, closing her eyes as he stood from the bed and headed into the bathroom to sort out the condom. Whilst he was gone she heard the couple next to them finish and Daniel excused himself from the room to go freshen up in the other bathroom.

"So?" Marian inquired and Regina opened her eyes to glance at the other woman, wondering what she was going on about.

"What?"

"How did he do?"

"It was nice," she stated, smiling at her, only to be met with furrowed eyebrows.

"Did he not make you come?"

"He did."

"I meant during sex, not oral."

"Oh, no," she shrugged, "no biggie."

"What?" Marian gasped as though it was a big deal.

"It doesn't matter, he was great." She felt somewhat weird talking to Marian about having sex with Robin, it never usually went that way, in fact, there was usually very little conversation about performance in the bedroom with other partners.

"You do know he's probably in there freaking out right now," Marian chuckled, "he's a giver, not a taker when it comes to sex and he won't like that he couldn't make you come."

"Oh, trust me he could have made me come, but I wanted him to enjoy it and that wouldn't have happened if he was concentrating on holding himself back," Regina stated, placing her hand under her head and bending her elbow on the pillow.

"I doubt Robin will see it that way, he'll just think that you didn't enjoy it and that he wasn't good enough for you, he's totally self-conscious," Marian laughed as Daniel came back into the room and slipped under the covers beside her.

"Whose self-conscious?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her and earning an eye roll from Regina, "did I miss something?"

"It's nothing to do with you," Regina hissed making sure to send an extra glare his way. Daniel certainly wasn't a giver and was definitely a taker, he usually didn't care all that much if she came or not, nowadays he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between faking and not faking it. He certainly wouldn't be worried that he hadn't been able to give her ultimate satisfaction.

Regina sighed and slipped from the bed, "do you have something I could wear?"

"Urm, yeah sure, top draw, there should be some nightwear in there."

"Thanks," Regina smiled, opening the drawer and finding a black silk nightgown with lace trim, she pulled it over her head before slipping out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Robin was sat on the closed lid of the toilet with his head in his hands, "hi," she breathed moving towards him and perching on his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck, "this seat taken?" she grinned playfully.

"It is now," he chuckled, holding onto her to make sure that she didn't lose her balance and fall off. "I swear I don't usually come that quick, fuck, I feel like…"

"Robin stop, you were amazing, you have no idea how much I enjoyed it," her hand pressed against his cheek.

"How could you have? I didn't even make you…"

"It's not all about orgasms Robin, sex is more than that," she breathed, thinking about it in a way she hadn't really done before, "it's about connecting with someone, being so close to them that you can scarcely breathe but at the same time, feeling as though everything is right with the world because you're there with that person. As I said, you got caught up in the moment, also sex isn't just about you giving, sometimes you can receive too you know," she giggled pecking his lips playfully before tracing his eyebrows with her middle finger.

"I swear, next time we have sex I will make you come so hard…"

"And I think I'll hold you to that one," she smirked mischievously, "I have to say that I was rather flattered that you could get that turned on just from going down on me."

"God, you have no idea," he buried his head in her hair before pushing it back to kiss the side of her neck, "you are so fucking sexy."

Regina smiled to herself, her fingers playing gently with his hair as she closed her eyes, "I just realised that I'd never heard you swear before tonight," she stated, when she thought back to their time together, not once had he uttered the word fuck, yet tonight he seemed to be using it freely.

"Hmm, well, I guess I felt I had cause to use it and well… I guess we know each other better now, I don't feel as though I need to constantly be making a good impression on you. Apart from when it comes to orgasms obviously," Robin chuckled stroking her back gently through the material of the nightgown she was wearing.

It was then that she took a shuddery breath and pulled away from him sliding off his knee, she was beginning to feel things, things that she didn't want to think about or create an explanation for. It was too dangerous to be thinking that way and feeling the things she did for him. "I'm tired, so."

"Okay," he nodded, he'd been expecting a witty come back, but clearly something he'd said hadn't sat right with Regina. He stood up and followed her back into the bedroom, sliding under the covers beside her. He glanced over at his girlfriend, seeing that she was still wrapped up in Daniel's embrace as they allowed their hands to wonder whilst they spoke quietly.

Regina tucked her hair behind her ear before laying her head down on the pillow and watching him silently. He copied her, looking into her eyes as they simply laid there. She felt her eyes begin to flicker, she hadn't been lying when she said she was tired, it had been a long day and she couldn't wait to have a good night's rest. Moving slightly, she allowed her arm to wrap around his waist before fully passing out and succumbing to the tiredness that wracked her body.

* * *

When Regina awoke, she felt a dryness in her throat, she groaned a little as she looked around the dark room trying to gain her bearings. She was aware of the other people asleep in the bed and felt a hot body pressed to either side of her. With a sigh, she carefully moved the strong arm away from her before slipping out of the clutches of the woman who was plastered to her back.

Once she was free from their hold, she had to figure out a way to actually get out of bed without waking them. She glanced to Robin, smiling at the way he tried to reach for her; chuckling she slowly wiggled her way free from the covers, glad that they had only opted for a thin sheet due to the sheer amount of shared body heat paired with the warm Californian climate.

When she had escaped the covers, she mulled over her dismount options. She could try and clamber over Robin, but there was a risk that she could accidentally wake him or stand on him. Another idea would be to try and get to the bottom of the bed, having to avoid all the limbs gathered there and escape off the end. Regina came to the conclusion that the second option was most likely better than the first, even if it was pitch black in the room and she could see nothing at all.

She got on her hands and knees and began to crawl towards her desired goal, relying on her touch alone to make sure that she didn't accidentally go over someone. She felt around with her hands, crawling cautiously as she came nearer and nearer to the end of the bed. Regina reached out and her fingers grazed over what she assumed was Robin's leg under the covers, she ungracefully climbed over it before almost falling directly off the end off the bed.

Gathering her bearings, Regina slipped her legs off the edge, her toes meeting the plush carpet covering the floor before she stood up and made a swift exit. She slowly padded down the stairs and into the kitchen, it was then when she realised that she didn't actually know where anything was, it was extremely rare that they didn't swing at their own house, so to be in someone else's was different.

Regina opened a couple of cupboards as she searched for a glass that she might be able to fill with water, once she found the glasses she took one out and placed it on the kitchen island before finding the fridge. She was about to grab a water bottle when a sudden noise made her jump and drop it. She turned quickly, spotting Robin sat at the kitchen island rubbing a hand over his face as he grinned at her tiredly. "Hello, night owl. Couldn't sleep?"

"I was just thirsty," she chuckled, bending down to pick up the bottle from the floor without even thinking about it.

Although he was half asleep he couldn't help but watch her as she bent over and he was granted with the reminder that she had no underwear underneath the silk slip she was wearing. He closed his eyes and shook his head, suddenly feeling a lot more awake than he had been less than half a minute ago.

"You scared me," she stated, watching as he quickly averted his gaze to the glass she'd put on the counter.

"Sorry I didn't mean to, I just noticed that you'd gone and wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I am, thank you. I don't sleep well in beds that aren't my own and even then…"

"I get it, you have insomnia."

"Undiagnosed insomnia I think," she sighed, taking a sip of water.

"Do you know that where I come from in England, we drink the water from the tap," he quipped.

"Good to know," Regina cast him a small smile, she knew what he was doing, he was trying to distract her, to make her feel at ease and he always seemed to be able to do that. "As you know, here in California, we tend not to."

"Even though it produces huge amounts of plastic waste that could be avoided if we just improved water filtration techniques."

"Someone is an eco-geek," she teased. She wasn't really making fun of him, she admired his outlook and shared his views, "you're right though."

"I know," he grinned smugly, "anyway, why couldn't you sleep?"

"I told you I was thirsty," she shrugged, taking another sip of her water, her thirst had been what woke her, but she hadn't been planning on going back to sleep. The truth was she was still worried about the intruder who broke into her home the day before, she didn't know who it was or what they wanted and it scared her, she didn't like to feel vulnerable and that was exactly how she felt.

His eyes scanned hers as he sensed there was something that she wasn't telling him, she was keeping something from him, he could tell just from looking at her. "Regina you can talk to me you know, I'm here for you."

"Seemingly you care more than my own boyfriend," Regina sighed, thinking about Daniel's reaction to the break-in compared to Robin's, Robin was worried about her whereas Daniel was quick to pass it off as petty burglary.

"I do care. Daniel does too, just in his own way," over the time Robin had known them, he had come to realise that Daniel had a funny way of showing Regina how much he cared for her, he didn't seem like a very open person, in fact he was very quick to shut her out. He also knew how much that factor aggravated Regina, she just wanted to be loved, she wanted someone to care for her and only her, but unfortunately, Daniel just didn't seem willing to give her that.

"His own shitty way."

"I can't disagree with that one."

Regina watched Robin from the opposite side of the kitchen island as she sipped her water, she could tell he was having a hard time keeping his eyes away from her breasts. With a little chuckle she moved round to sit beside him, "do you have somewhere comfier? I'm tired but I know I won't get back to sleep."

"Let's go sit on the couch in the lounge, maybe we could just put on a film or something."

"Okay," she smiled, taking the hand he offered her as she followed him into the sitting room. They both flopped down on the sofa and she shuffled so that she was curled into him as he wrapped his arms around her and switched on the television.

"Do you know what's weird?" Robin asked, handing her the remote to allow her to scroll through the films and find one she wanted to watch. His fingers moved to her short curls and he let them wrap around his fingers as he played with her hair.

"What?"

"I don't feel awkward with you," he stated.

Regina turned to look at him over her shoulder, that hadn't been what she was expecting, she didn't know exactly what she had been thinking he'd say but it wasn't that. "I don't feel awkward with you either," she smiled. It felt as though she had known him longer than she actually had, it seemed as though they had been friends for years, there was just something which made them connect.

"My girlfriend is upstairs in bed with your boyfriend and I'm here laid with you on the couch, it should be weird and awkward, but it isn't, it feels almost normal."

"Oh, it's anything but normal," Regina chuckled, settling on a sappy rom-com and pressing play. "But I think I get what you're saying," she sighed as she threaded her fingers through his and turned her head to the screen in order to watch the film.

Robin was glad that the sofa was big enough for the two of them to lay on it, he wrapped his arm around her and closed his eyes, he could already feel himself getting tired. He wanted to stay awake and spend time with her but he just didn't think he could do it, his eyes weren't co-operating with his plans.

Regina could tell that Robin had fallen asleep due to the heaviness of his arm that was around her, not that she minded, she found it rather comforting. Daniel rarely held her whilst they slept anymore, in fact, they usually slept at opposite ends of the bed, well away from one another. She closed her eyes wearily as she threaded her fingers through his and cuddled into his embrace, enjoying being held and feeling safely content for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Robin was first to wake up, he curled further into the back of the couch and pulled the warm body closer to his front, he hummed to himself as his eyes slowly opened and he saw Regina fast asleep. She was facing him with her limbs wrapped around him, rather like a koala hugging a tree. He grinned and closed his eyes briefly before deciding that he wanted to make the most of the time she was asleep and take in her features.

He admired her soft pink lips, moving to the scar which lined her top lip, then to her small dainty nose and her eyes which were currently closed, showing off her long dark lashes. He wanted to reach out and touch her face, trace the lines and feel her skin under his fingertips, but he didn't want to wake her, he wanted to let her sleep for a little longer first. For the meantime, he was content with simply looking at her and admiring her natural beauty, something he wished she would showcase more often because for him she was the most stunning he had ever seen her.

He craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the clock which was hanging on the wall in the kitchen, he wanted to know what time it was and whether there was any point trying to get back to sleep. It seemed as though it were early, but he couldn't tell because of the blackout curtains blocking out any light there might have been, for all he knew it could be midday.

"Well hello, you decided to join the land of the living, then did you?" Marian called, coming in from the kitchen, fully dressed and holding a tray carrying four cups of coffee which she placed on the centre table. She picked up one of the coffees as she sat down in the armchair beside the sofa, tugging at her green jumper a little before taking a sip of her drink.

If Marian was up before him that meant that he really must have slept in longer than he first thought, Marian wasn't a morning person, so if she was awake without him having to drag her out of bed it meant that it must be the afternoon already. "What time is it?" he asked, stroking his fingers over Regina's back as she carried on sleeping.

"She's even prettier when she sleeps," his girlfriend chuckled, "did you two sleep down here all night? The tv was playing to itself when I work up."

"Yeah, Regina couldn't sleep so I suggested we watch something, we must have dozed off."

"Did the two of you do anything else last night?" she asked, grinning at him as she sipped some of her coffee.

"No, she was tired."

"Are you alright this morning?"

Robin nodded, not really knowing what she was referring to, but he had a strange feeling that she might be talking about when he disappeared into the bathroom after he and Regina had sex. Had Regina told her that she didn't orgasm? He'd never had it where Marian hadn't orgasmed, so that had been a first for him, but Regina hadn't seemed to care, no matter how bad he felt for nutting too soon. "Yeah, were you alright alone with Daniel?"

"Of course."

"Good morning all," Daniel stated enthusiastically as he came down the stairs from the loft bedroom.

Marian shushed him and gestured to Regina, "shush you, she's still asleep."

"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows looking over to the couch and standing in front of them, "that's strange, she never sleeps in."

"She must have been tired," Marian shrugged.

"Let me get her off you mate," Daniel laughed as he reached for her, going to pick her up and free Robin from where he was trapped between her and the back of the couch. Once he had a hold of her he tried to lift her up, only for her to tighten her hold on Robin and move closer to him.

"No," she groaned in her sleep, her fingers fisting in his shirt.

"Come on Regina," Daniel tried to lift her again.

"Let go!" she cried out, trying to fight him off her as she reached for Robin again and in the process woke herself up, jolting awake. Her eyes fixed on Robin's "what's happening?" she whispered.

"You've slept in," he chuckled, tucking her hair gently behind her ear.

"I have?" she yawned as she looked around her, seeing Marian and Daniel both staring at her. Clearing her throat she shuffled out of Robin's comfortable embrace, she'd slept like the dead, never before had she slept so deeply, she usually woke at the slightest noise. "Is that a latte?"

"Yeah, help yourself."

"Thanks," Regina picked up the drink, "so have you all just been watching me sleep?" she asked, trying to be light-hearted, she couldn't actually believe that she'd just been sleeping like that.

"Kinda yeah," Robin laughed as he sat up behind her, placing a leg either side of her as he flexed the arm she had been sleeping on top of, it was numb but he didn't mind all that much, he was just glad that she'd slept well.

"You're all strange." She grinned at them, stretching out a little as she leant back against Robin sipping the drink in her hands. She just felt so comfy with him and didn't want to move from his warm embrace, in fact, she was somewhat dreading having to go home. She wasn't looking forward to talking to Daniel, he just didn't seem to understand that she didn't feel safe in the house, or at least he hadn't the day before.

Robin could sense that she'd gone quiet and he could see the way Daniel was watching her, it made him feel awkward, as much as he didn't want to move from the position he was in, he felt as though maybe he should, "budge your bum," he grinned, patting her gently, making her stand up.

"You are so British," Regina smirked before mocking his accent, "I have to say I'm positively famished."

"Well then, I guess we better get some breakfast or lunch, whatever time it is."

"Good idea," Marian nodded, "you two get ready and we'll drive somewhere."

"Sure," Regina smiled, moving towards the stairs, seeing Daniel move towards her from the corner of her eye.

"Regina, I need to talk to you."

"Maybe later Daniel, I need to get ready," she stated, her voice hiding her true emotions and her expression blank.

"Regina you can't keep ignoring me."

"I'm quite surprised you even realised I was, it usually takes you longer to work it out. We'll talk later Daniel, I don't want to spoil the morning." She carried on up the stairs expecting him to leave it at that and let her go, but she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist stopping her from continuing.

"What have I done?!"

"I think the question is, what haven't you done," she spat, "you're making a scene in front of our hosts. We will talk about this at home," her voice was more commanding with him than she ever thought it had been and she saw a look wash across his face that showed that she had finally gotten through to him.

Daniel nodded, "fine, wouldn't want to make a scene in front of our fuck buddies."

She simply glared at him and hurried into the bedroom before sitting on the end of the bed and trying to regain her composure. She wasn't going to let him just overrule and ignore her any more, she knew she'd said it before, but something had to change, they'd already had that discussion once and nothing happened, this couldn't be the same, she couldn't carry on living that way.

There was a slight knock on the door and she turned to see Robin coming in, "hey."

"Hi," she smiled, standing up, "your couch is comfy."

"Yeah. How did you sleep?"

"So good," she almost moaned, "the best sleep I've had in a very long time."

"I'm glad," Robin grinned, biting down on his bottom lip as he took in her tousled hair, she looked so stunning and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her, but they were supposed to be getting ready so he had to try and get it off his mind. In fact, she had been on his mind a little more than he would like to admit, he didn't know what Marian would say if she knew, but he couldn't help the feelings that were beginning to bubble up inside him. "Marian sent me to grab you some clothes, I know she's probably a size bigger, but I'm sure we can find you something."

She watched him as he routed in the draws trying to find her something to wear, it hadn't even occurred to her that she had none of her things with her. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, not being able to resist placing a light kiss on the back of his neck, "thank you, Robin."

"No problem, I'm here for you, you know that," he stated, his hands falling to hers as he turned around and looked down at her, "I like to think that we are friends."

"We are," she nodded, "I like having you as a friend."

"I like having you as a friend as well."

They stood there in a comfortable silence wrapped up in each other until they were broken apart by Robin's stomach letting out a low rumble. "I think we better hurry up," she giggled, pulling back she took the clothes he had picked out for her from the dresser and headed into the bathroom to get ready. She was glad she had him as a friend and knew that even if she couldn't rely on Daniel, she could count on Robin to be there for her and that brought her a sense of security she hadn't expected.


	10. Fighting and Biting

**Hi guys! I know it has been a while, but I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Enjoy and please leave me your thoughts on the chapter and what you think might be coming next for our swingers.**

* * *

The front door slammed closed as Regina stormed inside, ignoring whatever it was that Daniel was saying as he followed her. She was too angry to listen to him or even register that he was talking to her, his voice was just making her even more frustrated. It was supposed to have been a nice day with Robin and Marian, but Daniel had been acting like a spoilt toddler. He got jealous any time she tried to interact with Robin, even if she gently touched his hand or nudged him playfully, Daniel would get possessive and try to show his ownership of her.

He didn't own her.

Moving into the bedroom she tried to slam the door yet again. But he caught it and pushed his way inside, "what the hell has gotten into you?!" Daniel yelled, grabbing her arm and pulling it.

"Get your hands off me," she breathed, her tone chilling, "you don't get to act like this," she whirled around to look at him, "you don't get to be jealous when it was your idea for us to couple up with Marian and Robin in the first place. I'm not your possession Daniel."

"No, you're my girlfriend though."

"Yes, and you're my boyfriend, but that doesn't stop you from sticking your cock in other women does it. You have no right to be jealous of me having a good time with another man. You're obviously feeling insecure."

Daniel scoffed and shook his head, "you think I'm insecure? Why would I be insecure? It seemed as though he wasn't even good, he didn't make you come, did he? During sex, you didn't orgasm, I have nothing to worry about."

Regina glared at him and started pulling clothes from the wardrobe, shoving them into a suitcase, "you know what, I think I'm done with this conversation. You obviously think sex is just about the climax, whatever gets you there, right? Well, I don't think like that Daniel, okay. I had an amazing time with Robin last night and you just had to ruin it with your jealousy."

"Where are you going? Regina stop it!" he tried to snatch some of her clothes out of her hands but she just ended up throwing them across the room.

"Don't try to stop me, Daniel," she breathed, her nostrils flaring as she offered him the coldest expression she could muster. "I need time to think, I need to go away for a few days."

"Where? Regina, what about your work?"

"You don't need to worry about that." She was still going to be going to work, but she didn't want Daniel to try and catch her, either in the office or at the courthouse. She had to get away from him for a while and clear her head.

"Of course, I'm going to worry, I need to know where you are so that I know you're safe. I don't even know why the fuck you're leaving, if it's because I was feeling a little jealous, then I'm sorry Regina, okay, I just, I missed you and I saw how close you were with Robin. Why are you leaving?"

"I don't feel safe here. I already told you that, yet you made me come back, you didn't even take my feelings into consideration. You didn't even care about how scared I was yesterday after someone broke in." Regina threw in the rest of the clothes that she might need before zipping up her case and heading towards the bathroom to grab her toiletry bag.

"If it's just about the break in then let's go stay in a hotel somewhere, we'll have a little getaway just the two of us."

Regina glanced in the mirror as she grabbed her electric toothbrush from the pot and took a deep breath. She needed some space away from him and the last thing she needed was to stay in a hotel to just end up crawling back into his arms. "I already made plans. It's just a couple of days, whilst the home security is being installed."

"Regina, just tell me where you're staying," Daniel sighed as she came back into the bedroom and found him sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. She could tell that he was trying to make her feel guilty, pushing her to just give in a stay, or agree to his idea of going to a hotel.

"I asked Marian if I could stay in their spare room," she shrugged, hearing him scoff at her comment.

"What? So you're just going to stay with them? I thought you said you were staying with a friend."

"Marian is my friend, as is Robin."

"I think its more than that, I think there are things you're not telling me."

"Oh, get over yourself Daniel, nothing is going on, I just get on with Robin and he understands me, sometimes better than you do. I see him as a friend, nothing more," she spat, knowing that what she was telling him was a partial lie, she did feel something more for Robin than just friendship, but nothing would ever come of that and she needed to just forget it.

His jaw tensed as he shook his head, "I can't believe you're just walking out on me."

"I'm not, I just… I need some space and I don't feel safe at home. I don't know what you want me to say."

"I think you're being pathetic."

"You know what, fuck you," she scoffed, grabbing her bag and heading straight for the door. They were both angry at one another and she knew that if she stayed they would end up saying things that they didn't mean, things they wouldn't be able to take back.

"Regina, I'm sorry, come back, we need to talk."

"No, I think what we need it time to think about what the hell is happening to us. You need to decide if this relationship is still what you want," Regina sighed, pushing the front door open with Daniel following behind her.

"Of course, it is! I want you, Regina."

She turned to glance at him and took a deep breath, placing her hand on his cheek she leant in to press a soft kiss to his lips, "just think about it, okay." With that she hopped in the driver's seat, once again leaving him stood by the front door watching her drive away.

* * *

Regina parked the car outside their apartment before knocking on the door and waiting for them to answer. She may have told Daniel a slight white lie when she said that Marian had told her she could stay. She hadn't exactly asked them, she was just hoping that they weren't going to leave her outside. Her fingers gripped the handle of her suitcase for dear life as she noticed movement from inside, then the door was opening and Marian was stood there in her short, tartan pyjamas. "Hey babe," she smiled, "we didn't know you were coming back over tonight. Come in."

"Thanks," Regina sighed, slipping her shoes off and placing her case down in the hallway, "I didn't really know where else to go actually." She bit down on the inside of her cheek as she tried to stop herself from crying, but her eyes were already beginning to water as she looked at the other woman.

"Are you okay?" Marian asked, worry evident on her face as she reached out for her and tucked her hair gently behind her ear, "Regina, come sit," she breathed, taking her hand and leading her into the sitting room. "Robin, grab the ice cream and a bottle of red would you!"

"Who was at the door?" he questioned, coming down the stairs in a pair of pyjamas. When he saw Regina, he stopped in his tracks, he noticed that her eyes were red and she had clearly been crying, "what happened?"

"I walked out," she whispered, sitting down on the couch and burying her face in her hands, "I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Robin, don't just stand there," Marian hissed, "go get the ice cream."

"Umm, yeah, ice cream," he moved into the kitchen, glancing over at the two women sat on the couch, his own girlfriend trying to comfort the woman he had come to care for, as tears rolled down her face. He didn't know what had happened between Daniel and Regina, but he knew that she'd had her reservations about going back home after someone had broken in the day before, so maybe it had something to do with that. By the look on her face whatever it was hadn't gone down well.

He grabbed a tub of chocolate because he knew that was Regina's favourite, and three spoons. "I got it," he stated as he came back into the sitting room and sat down on the other side of their guest. "Regina?"

"Thank you," she smiled sadly, taking it from him and placing the lid down on the coffee table as she dug into the sweet treat. The three of them sat there in silence, all dipping their spoons into the ice cream now and then. After a few minutes, Regina spoke up, "I didn't feel safe being in that house and I needed some time away from Daniel. I just wanted space, that didn't go down well with him." She felt Robin's and Marian's fingers play with her hair gently as they listened to what she had to say. "I told him I was here and that he needed to think about what our relationship is to him."

"Well, sweetie, from what you've told me before this has been coming for a while." The other woman sighed, her fingers moving out of Regina's hair to rub her back soothingly.

"Yes," Regina agreed, having one last scoop of ice cream before passing the tub to Robin. "If I eat any more I think I might throw up," she chuckled.

"Probably a good idea to put it away then," Robin grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple as he stood from the couch and moved into the kitchen to put the ice cream back in the freezer.

If Regina and Daniel's relationship was on the rocks, what did that mean for them? They wouldn't be able to be together again, they'd only had the chance to properly come together once and he would be disappointed if they couldn't continue what they had. He knew that was selfish of him, if Regina was unhappy with Daniel, which she seemed to be most of the time, she shouldn't just stay with him so they could carry on, that wasn't a good enough reason for her to remain in an unhappy relationship. Would they even still see each other in a friendship way, or would she just disappear from their lives completely?

"Robin?" Marian placed her hand on his lower back as she came into the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

"What happens if they break up and we never see them again?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, "I suppose we all go our separate ways."

"Then what?" He asked, feeling nervous that she might want to find a new couple to swing with. He didn't know if he could do that again and no other woman would be as understanding and kind as Regina, "what about us? Do we just go back to normal?"

"Let's not think about that now, we don't even know if they are separating. They'll probably work it out and Daniel will come back to her with his tail between his legs, begging her for forgiveness. As for now, we just be her friends and support her."

"I think we can manage that can't we," Robin nodded in agreement, clearly Marian wasn't wanting to think about what they were going to do either, but he did know that Regina needed their reassurance, she needed people to be there for her and he and Marian were going to be those people.

"I'm gonna order some take out and we'll eat in bed watching Netflix," Marian chuckled as she rifled through the draw for the menu to the Chinese place.

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned before moving into the sitting room and finding Regina sat in the same position she was in before he left, staring at the wall in a trance. "Hey," he nudged her playfully before dropping down to sit beside her and pulling her into his arms. She buried her face against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she mumbled against him, her voice muffled.

"Do you want me to carry on hugging you?"

"Yes please," she whispered, moving so that she could sit on his lap and cuddle him properly. She just wanted him to hold her, having his arms around her made her feel better, it was the perfect thing to take her mind off Daniel for the time being.

"You two look so adorable," Marian quipped as she came back into the sitting room with the menu in her hand. "Okay, what'd you want cuties?" She asked, dropping next to them and draping her legs over the top of Regina, making her chuckle as she shook her head.

"Gimmie that," Regina grinned taking the menu from Marian and scanning over it, trying to find something she wanted. Marian had grown on her a lot since they'd first met, she hadn't been sure about her to begin with, but now she realised that she'd judged her too soon, she'd come to conclusions based on what Robin told her. Sure, she had been a little selfish in suggesting that they start swinging, but then again all she'd wanted was to experiment.

Robin gave her a gentle squeeze as he watched her intently read the menu, she squinted a little at the page and he couldn't help but chuckle at her, she obviously needed her reading glasses but was too stubborn to get up and find them. "Do you want me to tell you what there is?"

"I can manage, thank you," she scoffed playfully as she swatted him with the menu, only for his hands to find the sensitive spot that rested around her ribs, his fingers skimming gently but meaningfully, earning a high-pitched squeal in return and she squirmed and tried to wriggle away from him, "Robin stop," she giggled, "stop it, Robin."

"Stop being sassy then."

"Never," she laughed, trying to reach out and tickle him, her fingers pressed against his abs as she swivelled on his lap to face him, practically straddling him as they both tried to gain the upper hand.

Then Regina felt something press against her back and turned her head to glace at Marian who had trapped her against Robin as she too straddled him, resting on his knees. "Do you know how gorgeous the two of you are when you laugh?" she breathed, moving Regina's hair off her neck to one side before pressing her lips against the skin she revealed.

Regina didn't know what to do, she was conflicted, part of her was saying that this was wrong, that she and Daniel had fallen out and she shouldn't be falling into bed with their swinging partners. However, the other part of her was saying that she should just throw all caution to the wind and enjoy her night, telling her to just let loose and have fun with Robin and Marian.

The other brunette continued to lavish her neck with kisses, her fingers caressing her waist as Robin's traced over the side of her breasts. She released a moan and shook her head, "I don't know if we should do this," she breathed, leaning her head back to rest against Marian's shoulder as her hips fought to move against Robin.

"Well, as far as I'm aware, we're your regular couple, of which should mean that you can do whatever you want with us," Marian whispered, kissing the area just below her ear and turning her brain to mush. If Daniel were in her situation he would do the exact same thing, so fuck it, it was her turn to let loose and do what she wanted. Leaning in she pressed her lips to Robin's whilst increasing the pressure of her core grinding against his lap, stirring his cock.

Marian's hands slipped under her shirt as she continued to kiss her neck, Regina pulled her lips from Robin's and turned to press them against Marian's. She moved back to look at Robin and noticed that his pupils were dilated as he watched the two of them, clearly seeing them kissing was turning him on, she knew it would, that was why she'd done it in the first place.

"Shall we move this somewhere more comfortable?" Marian asked, her lips pressing to Regina's shoulder.

"I think that sounds like a very good idea," Regina agreed, her eyes never leaving Robin's.

* * *

Regina dropped back against the head of the bed and tried to catch her breath, she let out a soft chuckle as she glanced at Robin who looked as though he'd just ran a marathon. There wasn't a chance in hell that Daniel could say that the other man wasn't able to give her an orgasm now. The sex she'd just had was mind-blowing, seemingly Robin agreed if the harsh breaths he was letting out were anything to go by. Marian was on her other side and she too was trying to come back down to earth so they could bask in the post-coital bliss.

"Shit," Regina breathed, closing her eyes as she shook her head, "that was too good."

"Agreed," Robin groaned, not even attempting to move and dispose of the condom.

"Now I need actual food though," Marian quipped, having regained her composure far quicker than them, "I'm just going to order a bunch of stuff and we can pick at bits of everything."

"Good idea," Regina nodded, not even bothering to open her eyes as she felt Marian leave the bed, instead she rolled closer to Robin and flung one of her arms around him to hold him. "You were amazing," she murmured, her lips grazing over his chest as she nuzzled her face against him, taking in his woodsy scent that was now mixed with the smell of sex.

"Had to make up for not making you cum last night," he chuckled, moving his fingers to stroke gently through her hair. He'd regained his breath and was beginning to come back down to earth again. He pressed a soft kiss against her head before shuffling out from underneath her, earning a groan of protest in response. "I'm just going to dispose of this," he stated, gesturing to the condom before disappearing into the bathroom, knowing full well that Regina was staring at his ass as he went.

She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, he had the most amazing backside she had ever seen and it was hard to get that image out of her head. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and stared at the ceiling, she hadn't been able to stop herself from falling into bed with them, it just seemed to happen, but she wasn't sure that Daniel would see it the same way. Regret was beginning to seep in, attempting to overshadow the effects of the amazing orgasm she had received from Robin.

It was ridiculous really because she knew that Daniel would most likely have done exactly the same, had she not been the one to stay with Marian, Daniel would probably have been wanting to and he wouldn't have thought twice about sleeping with her. The thing was that this wasn't who she usually was, she never went off and had sex with one of their swinging couples without Daniel, it had never happened. She was beginning to think that maybe it was classed as cheating if he wasn't there with her and she hadn't told him about it beforehand.

Sitting up she ran her fingers through her hair and reached for Marian's robe which was hung on the back of the door, she slipped it on and moved to sit on the chair that rested in front of the dresser. Glancing in the mirror she realised that she looked a complete mess, her hair was all over the place and the makeup she had been wearing was smudged all over her face, along with some lipstick that didn't even belong to her.

Robin came back in from the bathroom and the first thing he noticed was the empty bed, he hadn't been expecting her to move, but clearly, something was bothering her, the look on her face told him as much. "Regina?"

"Do you think this classes as cheating?" she asked, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

"No, why would it?"

"Because Daniel isn't here."

"So what? That doesn't really make it any different."

Regina sighed and shook her head, "but if you and I were to have sex without Marian or Daniel being there, would that be cheating? Would we be cheating on them? Or if they had sex when we weren't there, would they be cheating on us?"

"I don't think so," Robin stated, moving over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently, "we have an agreement, I don't think us having sex with each other, whatever the paring classes as cheating. It's only cheating when you're not one hundred percent honest with each other. You're going to tell Daniel, right?"

"I don't know," she whispered, "I think he might fly off the handle with me if I tell him. Our relationship is already unstable enough without me adding extra strain."

"Regina, you aren't to blame for any of this, most of your problems lie with him. He doesn't have any right to be angry with you, after all the things you've done for him you deserve to get something back, to do what you want to do for once. Did you enjoy what we just did?"

"Of course I did, but…"

"No buts, no feeling bad, you have nothing to feel bad about, he should be the one coming back to you and begging you for forgiveness. Do not apologise to him, do you hear me?"

Regina's eyes widened as a small smirk played on her lips, she had never heard him so assertive and demanding and it was a nice change. "Yes sir," she chuckled, bowing her head before turning around to properly look at him, "thank you, Robin, I think that was exactly what I needed to hear. I shouldn't feel guilty about this."

"No, you shouldn't," he grinned, he was glad that he had been able to get through to her and that she was willing to listen to what he had to say, someone had to say it because she was only going to carry on doubting herself. She had a way of getting into her own head and overthinking things, he wanted to give her a way to relax and de-stress. "Now, are you coming back to bed whilst we wait for food, or are you going to sit on that uncomfortable chair all night?"

"What do you think?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she stood from the chair and moved back over to the bed, only for Robin to catch her by surprise by lifting her up and dropping her back down on the mattress. Regina squealed and pulled him towards her as she burst into a fit of giggles, she looked up at him, feeling her breath catch in the throat. He pushed her hair gently behind her ear as their eyes remained on each other's, her pulse began to quicken as anticipation flooded her veins. She was almost positive that he was going to kiss her, that he was about to press his lips to hers, but despite her hope for this to happen, just as he was lowering his face towards hers Marian re-entered the room.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," she joked, prompting Robin to move from on top of Regina and shuffle into the empty space beside her as Marian slid back into bed. "That looked intense."

"We were just messing about," Robin stated, clearing his throat and running his fingers through his hair, that had been much more than messing about, he'd felt things, things that he hadn't in a while. He'd had a sudden urge to make her his and he didn't know where that had come from, all he knew was that he'd had an intense need to claim her. Regina wasn't his girlfriend and he certainly shouldn't be feeling that way.

"Hmm," Marian nodded, "well, I ordered food, hopefully, they won't take long because I am famished," she breathed, leaning back against the head of the bed before grabbing the tv remote and flicking it on.

Regina was still trying to get her heart rate back down to normal, she didn't know what the hell just happened with Robin, part of her was glad that Marian had come in and put a stop to whatever was going on there, it had nearly gone further and she nearly kissed him out of something other than lust, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"How about we start a Netflix series? You Me Her?"

"Sure," Regina nodded, she didn't care what Marian put on, she most likely wouldn't be able to relax anyway, even if that was what Robin had been trying to get her to do.

"By the way, your phone was ringing downstairs, you left it on the coffee table," Marian added.

Regina nodded and slipped out of bed, although she'd told herself that she was going to step away from her phone, she needed a little alone time and her phone was the perfect excuse. She left the room and closed the door behind her before making her way down the stairs and back into the main living area. She snatched up her phone from the coffee table and sat back on the couch.

Pressing the home button Regina decided to see who it was that had been attempting to call her, even though she knew that it had most likely been Daniel trying to grovel and get her to come back to him. As she expected the majority of calls on the list were from Daniel, however, there was one that had her eyebrows raising in complete and utter shock.

Her mother.

She hadn't properly spoken to the woman in almost three years, they'd grown apart, not that they were ever close in the first place, but contact between the two had fizzled out almost completely, yet now here she was trying to call her. She tried to gain her baring's before consciously clicking on her mother's contact and pressing the call button. It rang for a few times before her mother's voice filled her ears.

"Regina?"

"Mother."

"I'm surprised you called me back, I was expecting you to ignore me and pretend that I don't exist like you usually do."

Regina rolled her eyes at the instant reminder of why she had distanced herself off from her mother, she was way too judgemental of everything and if she didn't have everything her own way she was a total and utter nightmare to deal with. "I don't pretend you don't exist mother, but you never call me and as far as I'm aware the last time I saw you, you virtually disowned me."

"Don't be melodramatic dear, it doesn't suit you."

"Did you have a reason for your phone call mother?"

"Yes actually, I did. I want to see you."

"You what?" Regina asked, her eyes widening as her heart sank in her chest. Her mother would not approve of her current situation, in fact, she would probably properly disown her if she ever found out.

"I think I made myself quite clear and you obviously heard me, Regina, don't be so childish as to play dumb. I'm coming to visit, I'm in California in a couple of days and will be staying a few weeks."

"Why are you coming to California?"

"Jerry has some work over in that direction."

"I'm sorry, who is Jerry?" Regina questioned, standing from the couch and moving into the kitchen to pour herself a huge glass of wine, she was sure that Robin wouldn't mind and she needed it urgently just to deal with what her mother was saying to her. How the hell was she going to be prepared for her mother to come and visit her next week? She never thought the day would come and didn't think she had to worry about something like that, but clearly, she did.

"Jerry is my fiancé, keep up."

"Keep up? You never even mentioned having a fiancé in the limited times we have spoken since I moved out here. How long has this Jerry person been your fiancé?"

"We've been engaged for about a year, but that is beside the point, the point is that I will be in California next week and expect to see you."

"But you hate California and the sun, and the sea, sand and anything else that remotely reminds you of the west coast."

"Are you going to carry on making this difficult or are you going to agree to see your mother?"

"Fine, of course, I'll see you."

"I want to see where you live, get a little look at the life you've made for yourself."

"Okay," no, not okay, nothing about that was okay, especially the way her relationship was at the minute, she could hardly just pretend that everything was hunky dory with Daniel, that was if he still wanted to be with her, or if she even still wanted to be with him.

"Wonderful, I'll call you at a later date to arrange it further."

"Perfect, well, goodnight mother."

"Goodnight."

The line went dead and Regina was left in shock just staring at the phone in her hand, that was the most unexpected and random thing to ever happen and she really didn't know how to feel about it. She should be happy that her mother wanted to see how she was doing, but another part of her was telling her that the older woman must have some kind of ulterior motive behind wanting to visit.

With a sigh, she placed her phone back down on the counter without even bothering to read any of the messages that Daniel sent her. She grabbed the whole bottle of wine and her glass before turning to go back upstairs, although she was stopped in her tracks when the doorbell sounded. She knew that could only mean one thing, the food had arrived.

* * *

When Regina woke up she was sandwiched in between Marian and Robin, they both held her lovingly and she had to admit she felt rather comfortable. The only issue was the heat, the room was stuffy and hot, they hadn't moved from the bed all evening and had all fallen asleep with full bellies whilst watching something on Netflix. Regina gently kissed Robin's temple before moving from the bed and heading down to the kitchen to get a drink.

She's just taken a sip of the cool water when a noise from the doorway caught her attention, she looked up to see a sleepy Robin coming into the kitchen. "This is beginning to become a habit," he joked playfully, making his way towards her, "couldn't sleep again?"

"I was asleep, I just had too much going around in my brain and I guess it woke me," she shrugged.

"I half thought you were thinking that my bed was uncomfortable, isn't it up to standard?"

"It's actually really comfy, even more so than my bed at home," she quipped, smirking at him over the top of her glass as she took a slow sip of her water. "I'm sorry if I woke you again."

"Don't worry about it. Want to talk about what's going on in that amazing head of yours?"

"Well, a lot of things I guess," she sighed, placing her hands on the counter and pushing herself up to perch on it as he moved around to lean against the opposite one. She didn't know how much she wanted to tell him, but it was most likely going to be everything apart from the way she was beginning to feel for him. "Daniel for one."

"Do you want to get back with him?" Robin asked, he was curious to hear her answer to that question but had a feeling that it wasn't a simple one.

"I'm not sure, I guess it's the question of if I want the past seven years of my life to have been a waste. Do I really want all the effort I put into making a home and building a relationship to just be thrown away?"

"Are you happy with him?"

"Some of the time I am, yes, but..." she sighed and bit down on her bottom lip, "most of the time I'm not." She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she quickly tried to wipe it away before robin saw, but apparently, she hadn't been quick enough.

He moved towards her and reached out to cover her hand, pressing it against her face, "I think you just answered your own question."

"It isn't that simple though."

"Isn't it? Regina, he makes you miserable." He didn't know why he was trying to break them up, but apparently, that was what he was doing. He didn't want Regina to be with Daniel, Daniel wasn't good enough for her, he didn't deserve her.

"I wouldn't say I was miserable," she shrugged, there wasn't much conviction in her voice and that alone proved to her that she wasn't being absolutely honest. She'd been miserable for a while and the only time she hadn't been was when they'd met up with Robin and Marian. "I just haven't been as happy as I could be," she admitted.

"I can't tell you what to do, that's your decision, but you deserve to be happy Regina," he breathed, tenderly stroking his thumb over her soft skin. He could feel her warm breath brushing against his arm in a way that was beginning to turn him on. Now wasn't the time though, she was trying to confide in him and have a deep conversation.

Regina stared into his eyes, he was so amazing and, in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss him. Their earlier conversations proved that he didn't think it was cheating, not with the agreement they had and the more she thought about it, the more what he said made sense. She reached out to usher him closer, pulling him between her legs and wrapping them around his waist.

"Kiss me," she ordered as her lips slammed against his and she moved her hands up behind his neck, cupping the back of his head, her fingers running through his hair. She hummed against his mouth, enjoying the feel of his tongue wrapping around hers, there was nothing sweet or tender about then way they were kissing, it was primal and raw as if they were fighting to get enough of each other.

Robin's hands moved down her body to caress her waist before moving the lacy nightgown she had borrowed from Marian up and over her head, having to break off their kiss. They both caught their breath and Robin stared at her, taking in her naked form, "you truly are stunning."

"And you have too many clothes on," she countered, finding the hem of his shirt and pulling it off. His boxers swiftly followed as she hooked her toes underneath them at the back and pushed them down using her foot.

"That is an interesting skill milady," he chuckled, leaning in to kiss her yet again, one of his arms wrapped around her as his other hand moved between her legs to cup her sex. He traced his finger across her wet folds before slipping it between them to caress her clit. She shuddered in his arms as her mouth fell to his neck. This time he was determined to make her come around his cock, he wasn't going to finish until she did.

"I need you inside me," she gasped, trailing her fingers down his chest before wrapping them around his cock, "right now."

Without even thinking he moved to press against her, his hand meeting hers on his erection before he thrust into her, earning a choked sob from Regina as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. He waited a few moments for her to adjust to the feeling of him being inside her before pulling back some more and thrusting into her once again. Robin groaned as he began to move, making sure that she was alright on top of the counter. He hooked one of her legs over his forearm as they established a steady pace, but the heat soon grew as did their speed.

Regina pressed open-mouthed kisses against his neck, but on a certain pleasurable thrust, she sank her teeth in to stop herself from crying out. Robin groaned and pounded into her even harder, one of his hands holding onto her ass as the other moved between them to rub her neglected clit. She sucked against his assaulted neck, knowing that she would most likely be forming a deep purple mark but she just couldn't help herself. She could feel Robin's mouth on her own neck and knew that he was most likely giving her the same treatment.

She was getting close and found herself moving to lay back on the cold marble worktop, with Robin pounding into her as he ran his hands up her sides. "Yes, Robin, yes!" She arched her back as his hands stopped at her hips, holding her as he continued to fuck her; she drew a shuddery breath, with each thrust from him she felt closer. Regina was on the brink of orgasm and jerked up into him, she began to babble incoherently as she crashed over the edge, her body shuddering with her release. Robin came inside her as she tried to catch her breath, her walls still squeezing his cock.

He rested his head on her stomach, closing his eyes as he kissed her abdomen. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking up at her, that was one of the most intense sexual experiences he'd ever had.

"Wonderful, but my arse is cold." She laughed, her fingers carding through his hair as he continued to press his lips against her stomach and breasts. She couldn't believe they had just done that, it hadn't been her plan and she had been in no way expecting it to happen. "I need a drink now," she stated, clearing her throat and prompting Robin to stand up, his softening cock slipping out of her in the process.

She sat up and reached for the glass she had poured before they started whatever it was that just happened. She was still slightly in shock about how much she had needed him there and then. Once she'd had enough, she placed the glass in the sink and slipped off the counter, she was aware of the wetness between her thighs and shook her head, "I need to go clean up."

"Sure, yeah, um. I guess I'll go back to bed, you're coming back to bed after though, right?"

"Yes," she nodded, retreating to the downstairs bathroom and leaving him standing in the kitchen. She freshened herself up before looking in the mirror, she could see a slight hickey beginning to form on her neck and she could only imagine the state of Robin. She'd actually bitten him, she'd never bitten anyone during sex before, that was something totally new for her.

With a sigh, Regina flicked off the bathroom light and headed back towards the bedroom, she didn't know if things were going to awkward between them now. She'd allowed herself to become too comfortable, the way they had basked in the afterglow had been too caring, too familiar, almost as if the sex meant more to them than a quick fuck. She knew that it shouldn't, that it shouldn't mean anything more than sex, but for her it was. She didn't know how Robin was feeling, but for her, it had been about the connection they had before sex and how she felt about him. It was such a mess.

Robin glanced at Marian before slipping into the bathroom for a couple of moments. He couldn't believe that had just happened, he been telling himself over and over again not to get too close to her when he was on his own, he'd known that feelings other than friendship and lust had been forming and yet he had sex with her anyway, despite his better judgement. He'd needed her, it wasn't just about the sex, it was about the closeness. It had been a mistake and it could never happen like that again.


	11. He's My Boyfriend!

When Regina awoke, the heat that had been pressed against her had disappeared from one side of the bed. She blinked and tried to work out what was going on, realising that it was Robin who was missing, Marian was still splayed out beside her with her arm wrapped over her stomach.

Regina yawned and rolled onto her back, her fingers moving to gently rub across Marian's arm before pushing a strand of hair out of her face. She felt guilty, she'd had sex with Robin in the kitchen in the middle of the night whilst his girlfriend slept upstairs, it wasn't as though they'd cheated, technically they both had permission, but it had felt different, it hadn't felt like swinging usually did, just something about it felt more real, she felt connected to him.

"You're awake."

She turned her head to see the object of her thoughts in the doorway holding a tray full of breakfast items, he grinned at her before moving towards the bed and placing the tray on the bedside table. He slipped into the bed and grabbed one of the coffee cups, "waft that under her nose and she'll wake up," Robin grinned, gesturing to his still sleeping girlfriend.

Regina chuckled and did as he instructed, watching as Marian's eyes flickered open and her hands snuck out from around Regina to grab the mug. "Mmm," she hummed, moving to sit up.

"Good morning lovely ladies," Robin cooed, "how did you both sleep?" He asked, running his fingers gently over Regina's upper thigh.

"Wonderfully," Marian hummed as she sipped her coffee and closed her eyes.

Regina watched her before glancing back to Robin, she wanted to tell Marian what happened last night but she had no idea if Robin would be okay with that and she didn't want to hurt either of them.

Robin knew exactly what Regina was thinking when she turned to look at him that way, he could tell that what they had done last night was burdening her and it was becoming quite clear that she didn't like keeping secrets. "It's okay," he whispered, nodding for her to say something, he didn't know how Marian was going to react but he couldn't allow what they had done to hang on Regina's shoulders, he didn't want her to worry about it.

"I woke up last night and went down to the kitchen, then Robin joined me," Regina stated, causing Marian's eyes to reopen as she looked over them, her gaze flickering from one to the other as she tried to read their expressions.

"Oh my god, did the two of you sex in the kitchen?" She asked, shock present on her face.

Regina felt her heart drop, part of her had been thinking that Marian wouldn't care, that she would have been understanding. She felt Robin freeze up beside her, his hand stilling on her upper thigh, it was clear that she hadn't been the only one expecting a certain reaction, "Marian, I'm so, sorry."

"I can't believe that the two of you would do that to me! Regina, what the fuck were you thinking fucking my boyfriend whilst I was asleep upstairs?"

"Marian I…"

All of a sudden, the other woman burst out laughing as she shook her head, "you should have seen your faces," she grinned, "priceless."

"You're not annoyed?" Robin asked as he stared at his girlfriend, sometimes he didn't know what the hell was going on in her head, she was hard to read and did things that were totally unexpected.

"Of course not, we're all together, aren't we? How was it?"

"I... it was nice," Regina smiled, feeling as though a weight had dropped off her shoulders, "really nice actually."

"Good," Marian chuckled before glancing over to the other side of the bed, "are those pancakes?"

"Yeah," Robin nodded, placing the tray in between them, "you better eat them before they go cold." He watched as the two women began to tuck into the pancakes. If Marian was so okay with him and Regina having sex without her, he couldn't help but think about what she and Daniel had already been getting up to without them.

* * *

A few days later, Regina was stood in the hallway with her case ready to leave, "are you sure that you're ready to go home? You're welcome to stay as long as you like till you get your head sorted," Marian reassured, tucking a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I should be getting back, Daniel will probably have accidentally burnt the house to the ground without me there to cook for him," Regina chuckled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The past few days had been nice and she had enjoyed spending time with Marian and Robin, but she couldn't hide away from life forever and she certainly couldn't stay in their bed with them like she had been doing, she had already grown way too comfortable there. She needed to burst the bubble and go back to her real life.

Things would certainly be changing though, that was for sure, she wasn't going to be dealing with any more of Daniel's crap.

Robin emerged from the kitchen and leant against the doorframe as he watched Regina say goodbye to Marian, he was going to miss having her around, but Regina was right, she couldn't stay with them forever. The longer she stayed with them the more conflicted he became, it was really starting to get to him and he needed a little time to think because that was impossible with her sleeping cuddled into his side each night. He was feeling things for her that he knew he shouldn't be and that had to end.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you both soon, you know where I'll be," Regina smiled as Marian kissed her chastely in a way that close friends would.

"If you need us for anything call us, day or night, whatever time it is. Call me and I'll come get you," Robin promised, his fingers brushing over her lower back as he hugged her tightly.

"I will," Regina nodded against his shoulder, it felt strange leaving them but she knew that she had to, "thank you again," she smiled pulling back and pressing her lips gently against his. After that, she headed out of the apartment and made her way to her car, she sat in the driver's seat for a little while, mulling over all the things she might say to Daniel when she saw him, although she hoped that he would be the one to bridge the gap and show to her that he was willing to put effort into their relationship.

When she pulled into the driveway she stared at her house for a couple of minutes before cutting the engine and heading for the front door. She tried the handle but the door was clearly locked which meant she was going to have to root through her bag to find the house key, once she did, she tried it in the lock only to find that it didn't work in the door. She was locked out of her own house! Had the bastard really changed the locks on her? Was he that desperate to get out of the relationship, she thought he had been willing to try, but clearly he…

"Regina!" The door opened and Daniel pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight, "I missed you."

"Daniel let go," she groaned.

"I'm not letting go of you again," he shook his head, tightening the embrace and almost cutting off her respiratory system in the process.

"They why the hell did you lock me out of the house?"

"I didn't," he grinned as he pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I changed the locks and made sure that the door locks automatically once you're inside, I wanted you to feel safe when you came home because you said that you didn't before."

Regina rose an eyebrow at him, that was actually somewhat thoughtful and she couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as she looked at him, "thank you." She was quite shocked by his appearance, he was usually clean shaven and always immaculately dressed, but right now he was standing in front of her with week-old stubble, dressed in jogging bottoms that she didn't even know he owned.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're here," he cast her a stupid grin and hugged her again. "I was beginning to think that I'd lost you forever, that you weren't going to come back."

"I told you, I just needed a little time to think," she shrugged, "can we go inside now? We have a lot to talk about before I make any decisions."

"Decisions about what?" he asked, his eyes widening as he stared at her, he obviously thought that all would be forgiven as soon as she walked through the door, well that wasn't the case, she wasn't just going to go back to the way things had been before, she needed things to change for good this time and that stated with an adult conversation, one she was dreading.

* * *

When Regina woke the following morning, she was aware of the heavy arm wrapped around her, after a long talk the previous day Regina had agreed to give Daniel one last chance, she had sworn that if he did anything that made her seriously doubt their relationship again she would leave him and she was going to promise herself that. So here she was, back in her own room with her own boyfriend and yet, she still felt as though there was something missing.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed her phone lighting up with Robin's name. Slowly without waking Daniel, she slipped out of bed, taking the phone with her so that she could answer the call. "Hello."

"Hey, sorry, I know its early, I just wanted to check in on you."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Regina smiled as she made her way into the kitchen to start preparing the breakfast, she had to go into the office later to go over some files, she had been managing so far with what she's taken home but now going in couldn't be avoided.

"So, is everything okay?"

"I think we managed to come to some sort of agreement yes," she heard what sounded like a sigh come from Robin's end and furrowed her eyebrows as she started the coffee machine. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"You just sighed, why?"

"Sorry, I'm just tired, it was a yawn."

"Don't lie to me, I know the difference between a yawn and a sigh," she scoffed.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"Yes, I do actually."

"Well, I think you're stupid for taking him back after all the things he's done."

Regina's eyes widened, she really hadn't been expecting that reaction, sure she had talked to Robin about the possibility of breaking it off with Daniel, but she hadn't expected him to think that she was actually going to do it. "Robin…"

"I know I said that it was your decision Regina and it is, but if you want my opinion, you shouldn't have forgiven him, he treats you like shit! He turned you into a swinger for Christ sake and I know how much you never wanted to do that…"

"Robin…"

"It's ridiculous, he uses you and you don't even see it, you're so blind to it, he has you wrapped around his little finger, doing whatever he wants you to. Regina, he doesn't love you if he did, he wouldn't just allow other men to touch you and…"

"Robin shut up!"

"He doesn't deserve you, Regina."

"I'm going to hang up now," she whispered.

"Regina, please, I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"You meant every word of it, goodbye Robin," she breathed, hanging up on him and leaning against the counter, she closed her eyes and shook her head. Her morning had immediately taken a turn and now she just felt like her life was even more of a mess. She knew what needed to be done, she couldn't live this life anymore. Taking a deep breath, she turned on her heel and headed to the bedroom where Daniel was just about waking up.

"Hey, good morning," he grinned reaching out for her.

"Hi," she smiled, moving to sit by the side of the bed, her fingers stroking along his stubble, "it's weird seeing you with facial hair."

"I know, it has got to go today."

"I quite like it actually," she shrugged.

"You do?"

"Hmm," she chuckled before moving in and pressing her lips to his, "I don't want to share you anymore," she stated, pulling back to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I think we should end things with Robin and Marian," she stated, feeling her heart tighten in her chest at her own words and her throat begin to constrict. She knew that it was the right thing to do, she needed to nip the things she was feeling in the bud before they deepened and consumed her, she couldn't carry on feeling this way, it needed to stop. Robin had made her realise things she had always tried to push to the back of her mind and she needed to stop it, stop them from surfacing any further and if that meant cutting him off then so be it.

"Are you serious?" Daniel asked.

"Is that going to be a problem for you?" Regina questioned, feeling to worry begin to nag at her once again, she'd already made him sacrifice swinging with anyone but Robin and Marian and now she was edging towards stopping altogether.

"No, but I just thought you liked them that's all," Daniel shrugged, his fingers stroking over her arm in a light caress.

"I do like them," she nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as she moved closer to him, "I just want you to myself for a while, I haven't had you to myself in years and I think its about time that I did."

"So, what you're saying is that it's either you or swinging?"

"Yes, that's precisely what I'm saying," Regina whispered, looking into his eyes and waiting nervously for his answer, for all she knew he could just dismiss her and move out, saying that he enjoyed swinging and didn't want to give it up.

"For you, I guess we're leaving that life behind," he grinned.

"Really?"

"Yes really."

Regina let out a breath of relief and pressed her lips to his, "thank you."

"You are the most important person in my life and I know that sometimes I don't show you how much you mean to me, but I promise that I will make sure that from now on, you do know. I want you to always know exactly how I feel."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Regina nodded, "but, as for now I have to head into the office and you should probably be doing the same."

"You are exactly right, I'll see you tonight. I want to take you out for dinner."

"Sounds great," she chuckled as she found some clothes and headed into the bathroom. She took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't believe how much Daniel had changed, she just hoped that he meant what he said.

* * *

Once she was finished in the office, she headed home to get ready for dinner with Daniel, it had been a while since they had gone out for a meal just the two of them and she was looking forward to spending some time with him without having to worry about anyone else.

Something she wasn't looking forward to was telling Robin and Marian that they couldn't carry on seeing them, it was going to hurt, especially after the way she and Robin had left things earlier that day, she knew that he was disappointed in her. Their argument had escalated so quickly and for the first time since she met him, she heard Robin get mad. He was mad at her for taking Daniel back, but it wasn't his decision, in fact, he had seemed completely out of character and it had her slightly worried.

She got out of the bath and wrapped her towel around her, just as she was about to walk into the bedroom to get dressed there was a knock on the front door. She grabbed her robe and secured it in place before cautiously approaching the door, peeking through the peephole before she opened it. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, glaring at the man on the doorstep.

"I came to apologise," Robin sighed with a shake of his head as he held up a bunch of pink tulips.

Regina narrowed her eyes at him before snatching the flowers from his hands and heading into the kitchen to put them in some water, who was she to reject beautiful flowers when they were being handed to her?

Robin watched her walk away and stood in the doorway for a moment, he really didn't know what to do, he had been so annoyed at himself all day for what he said earlier, he'd just lost it and said all those things. He had been expecting her to break up with Daniel, he certainly hadn't been anticipating them staying together, it just annoyed him that that arsehole had so much control over Regina.

After gaining the courage, he shut the door behind him and walked inside, following her into the kitchen and watching from the other side of the counter as she placed her flowers in a vase. "Are you going to talk to me or do you hate me now?"

"I don't hate you, I just don't like you very much today," Regina huffed as she grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and poured herself a healthy glass full, "what you said earlier really hurt me."

"I know, I feel awful about it, I wish I hadn't said it."

"What's worse is that I know you meant every word of it."

"No, I didn't mean every word of it, I know that you aren't blind to the things that Daniel does, but sometimes I think you just try to block them out and pretend that he is better than we both know he actually is."

"He's trying Robin," Regina shrugged as she took a sip from her glass, "when I came home yesterday, he was like a different person, I've never seen him like that before. He changed the locks because he wanted me to feel safe, he installed a new security system, he even got a self-locking door, which quite frankly scares me because I will really need to remember to take my keys with me everywhere I go. But the point is that he is trying to be a better person for me."

"How long is that really going to last for though?" Robin sighed, "I just don't want you getting hurt again."

"Why is that even any of your business?"

"Because I'm your friend, or at least I thought I was, and friends look out for each other."

"We are friends Robin, good friends," she nodded, reaching across the table and taking his hand, her fingers gently running over his, "and I do appreciate your concern, I really do, but you need to trust me on this one, I think that this might be the time where Daniel means what he says and finally sorts himself out."

"What if it isn't though and you get hurt even worse than before?"

Regina watched him and wondered what was going through his head, she rounded the counter and reached out for his hand once again, "listen to me Robin I…" her words were cut off by his lips pressing against hers, her eyes widened for a moment before she closed them and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to lift her up onto the marble counter. They kissed until they had to part for air and she opened her eyes to look at him, "Robin, this isn't a good idea," she breathed, glancing down and realising that her robe had parted slightly revealing her upper thigh, it didn't help that Robin was standing between her legs virtually pinning her to the worktop.

"Why not?" he asked, pulling back a little, he didn't want to overstep the mark but she was extremely hard to resist and her being angry at him for some reason turned him on. Right now, all he wanted was to be close to her and to feel her skin against his own. He craved her in a way he didn't think he had anyone before.

"Because we can't keep on doing this, I talked to Daniel earlier and he agreed that we need to be exclusive and I'm sorry Robin but…"

"Are you joking me? You're going to end things just like that? Without even talking to us first?" She was insane, was she actually going to stop what they had? He didn't know how he would carry on if he couldn't see her again.

"I can't be around you," she whispered looking down at her fingers which were nestled in her lap.

"Why not? I apologised for what I said this morning."

"It's not that," Regina sighed as she shook her head and glanced up at him, her fingers reaching out to play with one of the buttons on his shirt, "every time I am around you, I feel things that I know I shouldn't and it's driving me insane."

"What kind of things?" Robin asked, his hands moving to brush down her sides. He didn't know what he was doing but he was past caring about it, from what she was saying it seemed that she had been feeling the same way he had and he didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

"Robin," she groaned, staring into his eyes, the arousal hit her like a tidal wave and she couldn't keep it in any longer, "god, just fuck me."

Without hesitation he undid the tie of her robe and pushed it down her shoulder leaving her completely naked in front of him, "you're so beautiful," he gasped, his eyes running over her figure, taking in each and every detail of her body, he trailed his fingers gently over her breasts, turning her nipples into pebbled points.

"Not on the counter, I just cleaned it," she moaned as his lips found her neck, he hoisted her into his arms and found the nearest wall to press her against. Her hand moved between them so she could undo his pant and the moment he felt her heat brush against him he sprang into action and led his cock to her soaked entrance, thrusting into her without warning, she let out a loud gasp as her arms flung around his neck and she buried her head against his shoulder. He filled her perfectly as her walls fluttered around his member, trying to keep him inside.

"You okay?" he asked as he took a deep breath, his hands skirting up and down her back before one came to tuck her hair behind her ear, keeping it out of her face.

"Yes, just fuck me Robin," she breathed, pressing her lips to his as they began to move against each other, Robin finding the right angle to brush against that spot inside her that had her crying out in pleasure every time, "yes," she nodded, resting her forehead against his shoulder as she rolled her own hips in time to meet his thrusts.

She was just about to reach down and touch her clit when there was a knock on the front door and her head shot up, "carry on, they'll go away," she breathed, pressing her lips to his and moaning when his hand grabbed one of her breasts. There was another knock on the door, followed by the doorbell and this time it was Robin who pulled back from the kiss.

"I don't think they're going away," he groaned, resting his head against her shoulder before slipping out of her and carefully lowering her to the ground.

"God it better be good," she growled, helping him straighten up his pants before grabbing her robe from where it had been dropped onto the kitchen floor. She had been so close and now she felt empty without him inside her, she just hoped whoever it was at the door went away fast so they could carry on where they left off. Clearly, she was going to have to talk to Daniel for a second time and tell him that she changed her mind about Robin and Marian, there was no way she could give him up now, not when he had so thoroughly reminded her what she would be missing out on.

"Go stand behind the kitchen counter and pretend to be making coffee or something," Regina chuckled as she straightened her hair in the mirror that hung on the wall in the hallway. Robin did as he was told and she tightened her robe around her before opening the door and coming face to face with her mother. Her eyes widened and she felt as though she stopped breathing, "mother?"

"Oh you are in," the older woman scoffed, pushing her way past her daughter and heading inside the house.

"You're here. Why are you here?"

"Don't act as though I didn't tell you that I would be coming to visit," Cora rolled her eyes turning her nose up, "why does it smell like sex in here?"

"What?" Regina choked on air as she stared at her mother in complete shock, out of all the things she might have been expecting her to say, that had not been it. "I'm pretty sure that it doesn't," she shook her head, "anyway, where are you staying?"

"Here, I thought we had established that Jerry and I would be staying here."

"I can't remember that, but okay, we have a spare room," she nodded, feeling slightly exposed stood in only her robe as the elderly version of herself surveyed her house. It was only then that she noticed the man stood in the doorway, he was older than she had been expecting her mother to go for and he looked oddly familiar in a way that she couldn't place. He was short with a bald patch in the middle of his hair and had greying stubble covering his face. "Let me just go and…"

"This must be your boyfriend," Cora stated, looking at Robin who was stood like a deer caught in the headlights, after that sex comment he could hardly say that he wasn't, that would be a nightmare. So, Regina did the only thing that she could think of whilst put on the spot.

"Yes, Robin is my boyfriend."

* * *

**TBC**


	12. Mother!

Robin stared at Regina in shock, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard, she had clearly told her mother that he was her boyfriend. He knew that things were going to go badly from here on out, she obviously wasn't thinking straight and now they were in a really messy situation. Looking away from Regina he glanced over to her mother who was looking at him almost expectantly, "nice to meet you, Regina has told me lots about you," he lied, all he really knew about her mother was that she wasn't very supportive of her daughter.

"Has she now?" Cora stated with a raised eyebrow as she surveyed him. He swallowed nervously, if his hard-on hadn't disappeared before then it certainly had now with the woman looking at him the way she was.

"Yep."

"Not a man of many words, are you?"

"Mother, how about I show you to the guest room so you can freshen up?"

"Very well," she nodded.

Regina quickly led her mother and the random man she had never met before through the house and to the main guest room. She couldn't believe her mother had just shown up, she hadn't even told her an exact date or given her the chance to prepare for her visit. God forbid she try to see what was in the basement, she would probably have a heart attack if she walked into the  _"playroom"._ "Here we go, there should be everything you might need, there's an en-suite through there if you need anything just ask."

Without even giving her mother a chance to respond she shut them inside and hurried off, "Robin," she called from the top of the stairs, "can you come up here please?"

Robin did as he was told and followed her, she pulled him into the master bedroom before locking the door behind her, "we have a serious problem."

"You're telling me, what the hell were you thinking telling her that I was your boyfriend?"

"I have no idea, it just slipped out," Regina groaned, "what the hell am I going to say to Daniel?" she asked, her eyes widening as she realised just how dire the situation was. She had no idea how long her mother would be staying and that meant that Robin would probably have to stay too, but Daniel was the one who lived with her, where was he supposed to go?

"I'm not sure, maybe we could suggest a wife swap or something?" Robin shrugged, he really didn't have the foggiest idea what they were supposed to do. Playing Regina's boyfriend would be the easy part, it would be telling her actual boyfriend what was happening that would be the hardest, not to mention Marian.

"I don't think that Daniel will fall for that after what I said to him this morning, he thinks that I want to end things with you and Marian."

"Do you still want to end things?" Robin asked, his voice growing serious as he perched on the edge of her bed and watched her look through her closet to find something suitable to wear.

Regina sighed as she pulled a royal blue dress from the wardrobe and placed it over the chair at her dresser, she turned to look at Robin and shook her head, "I don't think so."

She never really wanted to end things, she was just worried about the way she was feeling, she was feeling things for Robin that were too intense and it was starting to scare her, so she'd decided that the only way to deal with that would be to pull away from him, to stop swinging with them. Now she was in a bigger mess than she had been before and she wasn't sure how the hell she was supposed to explain it to Daniel.

Robin let out a breath of relief and nodded his head, "good, I'm glad to hear that, as for working out things with Daniel, I'm sure it will be fine," he reassured, standing from the bed and moving towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked, staring at him with her eyes wide.

"I have things to do and…"

"You cannot leave me alone with that woman, because she will not be alive when you return."

"Regina, you're not a murderer," Robin chuckled as he shook his head at her antics. He could count the number of times he had seen her relax on one hand and the majority of those had been whilst she was sleeping, she stressed and worried about everything and he was beginning to think that there wasn't a calm bone in her body, he just wanted her to be able to chill out.

"Maybe you just haven't seen that side of me, trust me, my mother brings it out and makes me want to wring her neck. God, she is going to be judging me so much, I can just see it now. Regina, what have you done with your hair? It's just ghastly. Regina, the décor in this room just isn't fancy enough, where is your class? Regina, why don't you live in a bigger house? Is this really all you can afford?"

"This house is massive."

"I know! But she won't think that you should see her house back home, it's like a huge perfect white mansion and I hate it," Regina huffed, flopping down on the bed, still only wearing her dressing gown.

Robin looked down at her and chuckled, "hey, I don't think I have ever seen you be this dramatic before, its weird."

"Shut up," she laughed shaking her head, "it isn't that funny, it's actually really bad, my mother and I don't have the best relationship. I actually cannot believe that she just turned up, it's ridiculous, its…"

"Baby, I'm home are you ready to… Robin?"

"Daniel," Robin and Regina both turned to the bedroom door where Daniel was stood looking at them in confusion.

"Hey Robin, good to see you mate, what you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Regina and…"

"I changed my mind about the swinging Daniel, I don't think we should stop seeing Robin and Marian," Regina stated as quickly as she could, she just wanted to get that part out of the way before it got even more uncomfortable. She sat up on the bed and awkwardly adjusted her robe so that it covered her legs properly, "I was just being overly jealous this morning."

"Okay," Daniel chuckled as he shook his head and moved to drop his jacket on the back of the chair that sat in front of the dresser, "I thought you might have been ready for our date," he stated, prompting Regina to stand from the bed and pick up the dress that she'd taken out of the wardrobe.

"About that, I really need to talk to you about something Daniel," she murmured, glancing at Robin and gesturing for him to give them some privacy, this was something she wanted to address between just the two of them because she really wasn't looking forward to seeing how he was going to react when she told him.

"I'll be downstairs," Robin excused, getting out of the bedroom as quickly as he could, to be honest, he was considering leaving completely and heading home, he had a feeling that Regina was about to tell Daniel what she had done.

"Did you invite Robin and Marian on our date?" Daniel grinned, "because if that's what you're worrying about, don't, it's a good idea, you know I like those guys, we have fun together." Regina watched as he loosened his tie before moving over to the wardrobe and finding a fresh shirt.

"Actually, Daniel, I did something really stupid and I am so sorry, but can you please hear me out?" she asked, perching on the edge of the bed and biting down on her bottom lip nervously, she was just going to have to bite the bullet and hope that he understood why she had done what she did, not that she really understood it herself.

He stopped what he was doing and turned on the spot to look at her, "what is it?"

"Well, to start with, my mother is here, in the house, she came for a visit and is staying in our guest room."

"She's here already? I thought you said she hadn't confirmed a date. Is that why you're stressing? Babe, everything will be fine, you're wonderful and I know that you make an amazing host, don't worry about it, I have every confidence that you will impress your mother and I'll be here for you, you know that. I'm kinda looking forward to meeting someone from your family."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Regina sighed, playing with her hands in her lap as he came over to the bed and sat down beside her, his arms wrapping around her gently.

"Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"

"Because I don't deserve it," she whispered, "I had sex with Robin," she confessed, "in the hallway and when my mother arrived, she worked it out and then she assumed that Robin was my boyfriend."

Daniel didn't respond and she looked up at him to try and see what his reaction was to what she'd just told him, "you had sex with him in the hallway?"

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen, he came over and…"

"Sorry, I'm just a little confused here about how you can be so hypocritical about me sleeping with other people."

"It was Robin, Daniel, Robin is on the list."

"Yeah, I get that, but wasn't it only this morning when you were telling me that you wanted us to be exclusive? Then a couple of hours later you're fucking him against the front door."

"Are you really angry at me?" Regina asked, glancing up at him, he did not look happy and she had known that he wouldn't be over the moon with the idea that her mother thought Robin was her boyfriend, but she hadn't expected him to be furious with her.

"Yeah, I guess I am a little bit pissed off. I was trying for you, I wanted to show you that I was good enough to be with you, but clearly you don't think that your mother would approve of me, otherwise, you wouldn't have told her that Robin was your boyfriend."

"No, that had nothing to do with it, I'm sorry, I never planned for any of this to happen and if I could go back in time and change what I said then I would, but I can't."

"No, you can't," Daniel huffed, standing from the bed and going back to the task of finding some clothes.

There was no way she could leave it this way, it wasn't happening, she would be a wreck before she even started dealing with her mother and she couldn't afford that. Standing from the bed she moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Daniel, I love you, not Robin. You're my boyfriend, not him. I promise you that I will make it up to you as soon as my mother leaves."

Daniel sighed as his hands came to gently rest on the top of hers, "Regina…"

"Daniel, just please…"

"Regina, its okay," he turned around and placed his hands on her hips, "I'm not saying that I like what's going on or am happy about it, but I get that your mom turned up and you panicked."

"Yes! That was exactly what happened."

"Right, so, I also get that Robin is going to have to pretend to be your boyfriend for the duration of your mother's stay. So, where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"Urm, Robin suggested a wife swap," Regina shrugged, offering him a half smile, she knew that Marian probably wouldn't be as bothered as Daniel was, she tended to be more understanding about things.

Daniel looked to think about it for a moment before nodding his head, "sounds fair enough, guess I'll pack a bag then."

"Robin needs to talk to Marian first, but I'm sure it won't be an issue."

"I doubt Marian will be opposed to having me stay with her."

"Me either," she shook her head moving closer and placing her hands on his cheeks, running her fingers over the stubble that he had neatened up but not completely removed. "I love you, thank you for being so supportive." Although he was being supportive, she knew that he was not happy about what was going on.

* * *

As soon as Robin was alone, he moved into the backyard and sat by the pool so that he could call Marian and tell her what was going on, he assumed that would be what Regina was doing with Daniel and he knew that he was going to have to do the same with his own girlfriend. If he was going to have to stay over, he would need some clothes.

He groaned as he ran a hand over his face, his head was in a mess and he was really confused on how he should be dealing with things, it was bad enough that he was starting to have feelings for Regina and now he was being forced to pretend to be her boyfriend. He had a feeling that it was going to go badly for everyone involved.

The phone rang a couple of times before Marian finally picked up the phone, "hey, I just got home and I thought you'd be here."

"I'm over at Regina and Daniel's place and we have a little situation going on."

"What?! Did you guys start something without me?"

"Not exactly," Robin cringed, he definitely didn't want to start anything with Daniel, "well, Regina and I did some stuff before Daniel got home."

"Shit did he catch you?" Marian laughed.

"No, her mother practically did though, she knew that we had been having sex and Regina accidentally slipped up and told her mother that I was her boyfriend," Robin stated.

"Oh, I see, so now you're stuck pretending to be Regina's boyfriend and Daniel came home."

"Yes, I think Regina is talking to him now, we suggested swapping partners until Regina's mom goes back home and we are back in the clear again."

"That's cool with me," Marian agreed easily, he had been expecting her to react that way but sometimes it still shocked him how easily she agreed to stuff like that and how quick she was to jump into bed with Daniel. He was being a little bit of a hypocrite though because seemingly he was the same way with Regina now, Regina was irresistible and he couldn't keep away from her. "Do you need me to bring some stuff over for you?"

"That would be great, thanks, babe."

"No problem, I might as well pick Daniel up whilst I'm at it."

"Good plan."

Just as Robin got off the phone Regina and Daniel emerged from the house and joined him outside, seemingly their talk hadn't gone as smoothly as the one between himself and Marian. It seemed as though Daniel was mildly pissed off although, to be honest, he totally understood why. "Hey, so I'm gonna just head on over to your place," Daniel stated awkwardly.

Robin nearly died inside at the tone of his voice, he had never heard Daniel's voice take on that tone before and it was clear that the man was unhappy with the current situation. When Robin chanced a look at Regina, she didn't meet his eye, in fact, she seemed to be doing a great job of avoiding eye contact and it was making him feel even more uncomfortable.

"I just got off the phone with Marian, she agreed to go along with it and she's bringing some stuff over, she said you can catch a lift home with her," Robin murmured quietly, staring at the pool water as it gently lapped against the sides, at the moment he was rather wishing that he could just dive in the water and block everything out.

"Oh, great, I…"

"Regina, you have another guest?"

Upon hearing her mother's voice Regina froze, it was already awkward enough without her mother being added to the mix, part of her had been hoping that Daniel would have been gone before she surfaced and then she wouldn't have to come up with something as to explain who he was to her mother who would more than likely question it. Regina took a deep breath and turned to look at the older woman who had changed into a white sundress with a floppy hat, her fiancé was following behind her dressed in shorts and a shirt, she still couldn't put her finger on who he was reminding her of.

"Mother, this our friend Daniel."

"Well, what is he doing here?"

"He's our friend mother, people's friends tend to come over to their houses now and then," Regina stated in the most sarcastic tone she could muster, her mother was ridiculous, she had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going, her mother wanted to be the centre of attention and she knew that if Regina had other guests that might not happen.

"Yes, but did he just come over unannounced?"

"You mean like you did earlier? No mother we actually had plans, plans that I have had to alter because you forgot to let me know what day you would be arriving."

"Well, it's a shame that we're going to have to change those plans, maybe another time," Daniel nodded giving Cora a look that made Regina want to laugh out loud, she could see that in the couple of seconds her boyfriend had come to know her mother he already hated her, the two of them couldn't be more polar opposites if they tried.

"Of course, we will definitely have to reschedule," she nodded, giving Daniel's hand a little squeeze in a way of apologising for her mother's behaviour. "Anyway, what are you doing out here mother, I thought you might have wanted to take longer to relax after your flight."

"You mean you wanted me cooped up in that room for the rest of the day? Why would I do that when I can come out here and enjoy this beautiful garden and pool?"

"You hate the outdoors and the sun and anything that might risk ruining your hair," Regina stated. It was true her mother had always claimed to hate sitting by the pool doing nothing, in the past, she had often used it as an excuse not to visit her daughter.

"Regina, can I come and sit out here or is that not allowed?"

"Of course, you can come and sit out here, I was just making an observation that's all."

"Hmm, Robin, you're just standing there doing nothing, make yourself useful and find some refreshments," Cora ordered and Regina heard Daniel let out a quiet snort of laughter, she turned to glare at him and he just grinned in return.

"I'll help you with those drinks mate, Regina, are you coming?"

"Yes. Mother, just make yourself at home."

"Why do you have to go inside to get them, what's that?" Cora asked, pointing to the pool bar that sat on the outside decked area.

"It's not that well stocked, you have to turn the coolers on, I'll go get you something from inside, what drinks would you like?" God, she felt like she was back in her first waitressing job all over again.

"I will have a dry martini please, with extra olives. Jerry will have a whiskey on the rocks, won't you dear?"

"That would be lovely darling."

"Coming right up," Regina smiled falsely as she followed Robin and Daniel inside, god she envied Daniel right now, he should be grateful that he was getting out of this torturous experience.

"God mate, thank you for saving me from having to endure that," Daniel laughed as he sipped on a glass of whiskey that he'd poured for himself and patted Robin on the back.

"Yeah, you're welcome  _mate_ ," Robin grimaced before glancing at Regina, "your mother is a piece of work, no offence."

"None taken, I completely agree with you," she nodded, coming over to them and taking the glass that was in her boyfriend's hands before downing the amber liquid in one go, "you really are lucky Daniel that you're not having to stay here with that."

"I realise that now," he grinned and she could see the relief on his face, Robin, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to jump ship and leave her to deal with it alone, she wouldn't blame him, to be honest, she really had dropped him in it. There was a knock on the door and Daniel went to answer it before coming back with Marian, "it's a shame that your mother is here, we could have all had some fun by the pool."

"Trust me I would much rather have that," Regina sighed, smiling at Marian and giving her a hug, "hey, I'd ask you if you wanted to stay for a drink, but Daniel would probably kill me if he had to stay in the company of my mother for longer than the second that he already had to," she grinned. "I'm sure one night we will be able to get out of having dinner with them and all be able to meet up."

"Good idea, hopefully, the two of you don't go insane by then," the other woman chuckled, "okay, take care of my man for me Gina." She passed Robin's bag over to him before kissing him chastely.

"Will do. Daniel, you behave," Regina warned, pulling him closer and briefly pressing her lips to his, "I'll see you soon," she whispered before kissing him again.

"Regina!" She pulled back and turned to see her mother standing in the doorway with the most shocked and confused look she had ever seen on her face, "what on earth is going on here?"

"I'm saying goodbye to my friends," Regina scoffed, quickly pulling Marian in to kiss her as well, "we'll catch up soon," she grinned before seeing them to the door and away from the watchful eyes of her mother. "Bye," she breathed.

"I love you, Regina," Daniel quipped as he waved at her before going with Marian and getting into her car.

Regina and Robin watched as the car pulled out of the driveway and their partners left them with the woman from hell, Regina glanced up at Robin before moving back into the kitchen, her mother was standing there with her arms folded and an expression on her face which seemed as though she had just accidentally eaten a super sour lemon.

"Do you kiss all your friends on the lips?"

"Just the ones I sleep with," Regina quipped earning a snort from Robin who had moved behind the bar and was beginning to mix some drinks up, she'd forgotten that he knew how to make a mean cocktail.

"Don't make such vulgar jokes Regina. It isn't normal to kiss one's friends in such a way."

"Mother, they are close friends and I will behave with them as I please, you can't just show up here and dictate to me on how I should behave." Oh, what her mother would do if she realised that it was, in fact, the truth and she had slept with both Daniel, Marian and Robin.

"How does Robin feel about you kissing other men?"

"I'm not against it, as she told you Daniel and Marian are close friends," Robin shrugged his shoulders and pushed a dry Martini to the edge of the bar, "did someone order extra olives?"

Cora eyed the drink before picking up the glass and heading back outside, Regina turned to look at Robin and burst into laughter, "I cannot believe that just happened, you handle her wonderfully, by the way, maybe I'll go with Daniel and Marian and leave you to deal with that."

"There is not a chance in hell I am letting you get away with doing that," Robin shook his head, "it just isn't happening."

"I'm joking with you Robin, I would never do that to you."

"I know," he chuckled, sliding a drink over to her, "thought you might need this."

"God yes, thank you."

* * *

Later that evening Regina and Robin were hiding out in the master bedroom whilst her mother and her fiancé were occupying the lounge area. They had decided that they would all be going out for dinner and Regina had quickly excused herself, stating that she needed some time to get ready, in actual fact she just wanted a little time before she was trapped in close proximity to her mother at a dining table and couldn't escape.

Regina laid on the bed and watched as Robin organised some of his clothes, going through what Marian had packed in order to find something that might be suitable to wear, "do you know what, I think we might just about get through this week," Regina hummed, burying further into her pillow, there was a part of her that was looking forward to spending some quality time with Robin just the two of them, sure her mother was going to be there as well, but she wouldn't be the entire time and it might be nice to get to know Robin some more, even though she pretty much knew everything about him already after that first McDonalds date.

"I'm sure we'll get through it, it might be a little tedious at times, but I think I know how to win your mother round."

"You do? Please tell me how because I have been trying to do that my whole life with very little success."

"The key is to do as she asks, that way you won't get punished."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, "that's sound advice, but what if I don't want to do what she asks all the time, what if she is being incredibly rude and disrespectful and all I want to do is shove her out of my home?"

"I think maybe that's the point where you give yourself a time out and move away from the woman," Robin grinned cheekily as he held up a white and blue checked shirt, "what about this?"

Regina tilted her head before shaking it, "nope, that's not the one."

"Go to take a look at what I have and then choose for me because I have no idea what you're wanting me to wear," Robin groaned, flopping down to lay on the bed in the opposite direction to Regina.

"I say we lock the bedroom door and hope that they go away," Regina giggled as she moved so that she was lying down beside him, "do you think we can order takeout and somehow get it up here without them noticing?"

"Not likely," Robin chuckled, "although it would be a nice idea."

"It would, wouldn't it," she groaned as she forced herself to get up from the bed and move over to the pile of clothes that Robin had emptied out of his suitcase, "okay, wear this shirt, this tie, the navy jacket and the matching pants," she instructed, handing him the clothes after taking mere second to make her decision.

"How do you do that?"

"It's a white shirt, Robin, it wasn't that hard and the suit goes with my dress," she shrugged as she moved over to her vanity to apply the finishing touches to her makeup, how badly could the night really go?

* * *

The drive to the restaurant was mostly silent, Jerry insisted on driving which meant that Robin and Regina were stuck in the backseats with the journey somewhat resembling a family holiday with the kids in the back. Every now and then Cora would make a comment about the surroundings and the neighbourhood and Regina would just agree with her whilst not really paying attention, Robin though hadn't said one word.

When they pulled up in the car park Robin hurried out of the car before holding the door open for Regina, he immediately recognised the restaurant that they would be attending and it was a posh one that he hadn't ever been to before, exactly the place he could see Regina's mother loving.

"Have you been here before?" Robin asked quietly, he had a feeling it was going to set him back quite a bit, not that he didn't have money but he hated being ripped off.

"Once, it was to do with work, the food is good," Regina nodded, "not too expensive as far as I can remember, although work was covering the bill so I didn't really pay that much attention to it."

"Right."

Regina chuckled and slipped her hand in his, "don't worry."

"I worrying about us having to keep up a conversation with your mother to last the duration of a meal."

"Robin, if there is one thing my mother is good at, it's talking," she winked earning a laugh from Robin, "what?"

"What was that?! I've never seen you do that before."

"What are you talking about?"

"I never noticed that you can't wink."

"I can wink!" she protested, scoffing at him as they followed her mother and Jerry inside the restaurant, "I can totally wink."

"No, you can't, not if that's what you call a wink anyway."

"Hey, you're being mean," she moaned, shoving him playfully.

"Would the two of you stop being so childish and grow up, Regina you can't wink and you have never been able to," Cora stated as they walked up to a small podium where they had to wait to be seated. "We have a reservation for four under Mills, I asked for your best table, is that possible?"

"Good evening madam, we placed you on our best available table yes," the man nodded, "right this way please," he gestured before making his way through the restaurant and to a balcony which looked over the beach at the sea and was covered in beautiful lights.

"Wow this is amazing," Regina murmured as she glanced up at Robin before sitting down at the table, she chanced a glance over at her mother only to find the same stoic expression, did nothing ever impress that woman? How could she not be impressed by the view?

"It's gorgeous," Robin agreed as he sat beside her and reached for the wine menu before pretending to look over it, all he really wanted was a beer, but he felt as though that wasn't really something to be ordered in such a posh establishment, he was worried that it was obvious that he didn't belong in such a place.

"I wish I had known that it would be outside, I would have brought a thicker shawl," Cora sighed.

"Well, I for one think that it is wonderful, this is California mother, you never need a thicker shawl, it isn't cold," Regina scoffed as she pinched the wine menu from Robin, "I need this more than you," she whispered.

"Can't disagree with you there. So, Jerry, how did you and Cora meet?" Robin asked, just trying to think of some kind of conversation starter, he hadn't heard the man say more than a couple of words since he met him over four hours ago.

"We met at the country club," the man nodded as he found the food menu, Robin watched him and furrowed his eyebrows, there was something extremely familiar about this man and he just couldn't place it, he glanced at Regina but she was fully absorbed in the wine menu probably considering if it was obscene to order the whole list.

"Oh, I see."

"Jerry, that isn't the whole story," Cora tutted with a shake of her head, her fingers adjusting one of the already perfect dark curls that framed her face. "We were at the Country Club and they were having a function to raise money for Maine's association for death children, I happened to bid on a stay at Jerry's ski lodge, in the silent auction."

"Did you win?" Regina asked, looking up from her wine list, she couldn't imagine her mother going skiing and if she hadn't been yet would rather like the opportunity to watch her mother fall on her designer derriere.

"Yes, I did actually," Cora stated smugly as the waiter reappeared to take their drink orders.

Much to Robin's surprise Regina only ordered one glass of wine, but the night was young and he could see her getting rather inebriated as the evening progressed. Robin opted to order the same drink she had because he guessed that if it was good enough for her then it was good enough for him and she would also know what she was actually ordering.

"So, have you been on the trip yet, mother?" Regina asked as she swapped the wine list for the food menu, "I do so love skiing."

"I haven't had the chance to go yet no."

"Oh really?! How big is this lodge of yours Jerry?"

"Quite big, it sleeps eight people or so."

"Wow, well mother, maybe we'll have to join you on this trip of yours, I think we could really bond over skiing."

"I didn't know that you did ski Regina," Cora stated, cleaning her throat as the drinks arrived and she took a rather large gulp of the red wine in front of her, Regina could see that she had made her mother feel awkward because Cora knew full well that she wouldn't be doing any skiing and that she had only paid for the trip because she wanted to look rich in front of her influential friends.

Regina had underestimated how much she was going to actually enjoy this meal, at first, she had assumed that she would be the one feeling awkward, but seemingly it was going to be the other way around and she was going to succeed at making her mother feel uncomfortable. "I have been skiing a couple of times actually, I rather like the sport."

"How about you Robin, do you ski?" Jerry asked, for the first time of the night forming a question of his own, clearly, he was passionate about skiing, either that or he wanted to boast that he had a lodge in the mountains somewhere.

"I have been known to ski," he nodded, thankful for all the skiing vacations his family had taken in the French Alps when he was younger, if he was going to be roped into a skiing vacation at some point, he at least needed to be able to ski.

"So mother, why is it that you chose a skiing vacation when you have never skied in your life?" Regina asked, taking a sip of wine and handing the menu to Robin, she had made her choice.

"I have been skiing."

"What when?" Regina furrowed her eyebrows, unless her mother had been skiing since she left for California Regina didn't think that she had ever been.

"Once," Cora cleared her throat, "I think I might have the sea bass, Regina what are you going to order?"

"I'm going to go with the beef bourguignon," she stated confidently, tucking a single strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced out at the sea over the balcony, she would have gone with Lasagna but knew that her mother would probably have judged her about it because of the carbs, it was like she was a teenager all over again.

"I think I'll have the lasagna," Robin stated and Regina turned to glare at him, was he being serious? He knew that was her favourite and the smug look he was throwing her way told her that he knew exactly what he was doing and by god if she wasn't going to steal some of his food.

"That sounds like heaven."

"Why don't you order it then Regina?" Jerry asked as though the answer wasn't totally obvious.

"Dear I think Regina is very sensible for ordering the bourguignon, nobody needs all the carbs that are in lasagna."

"I am totally ordering it with fries," Robin whispered in Regina's ear, making her groan out loud.

"I actually hate you right now," she hissed in return as they submitted their orders with the waiter, Regina watched her mother's face fall when Robin, not only ordered fries with his lasagna, but went the whole nine yards and got garlic bread too.

"I must say Mr Locksley you are a brave man," Cora tutted.

"I'm not afraid of a few carbs, I'll just add a mile or so onto my morning run."

Regina scoffed at him, she knew that he did jog because of the time he found her when she'd fallen flat on her face, but she didn't know he was an avid jogger, to be honest, she didn't think he was, he was probably just saying it to appease her mother. "Really?" she murmured.

"Probably not."

"I do wish the two of you would stop whispering, it is unnecessary and unpolite."

"Sorry mother," Regina chuckled, "I was just telling Robin that I would join him in the morning on his jog," or use it as a chance to escape to Starbucks or the beach for a couple of hours before using going into the office as an excuse even when she had all of her files at home already.

"Well, tomorrow Jerry and I will be going to visit his brother so we probably won't be around most of the day."

"Okay," maybe she wouldn't have to go into the office after all.

"So, Regina how is your career going?" Cora asked.

"It's good."

"Is that it? Good?"

"What more is there really to say, I'm a lawyer like I have always been, mother, nothing has really changed and I can't talk about my cases, so there is a limit to what I can actually say," Regina shrugged.

"Why do I feel as though you are harbouring resentment towards me?" Cora huffed, rolling her eyes, "I was merely showing interest towards your occupation and making conversation, what do you want me to do Regina?! I'm trying."

"I don't harbour resentment," Regina scoffed, it was a partial lie, but the resentment wasn't held over her mother not really knowing what it was that she did, it was more to do with her mother not usually wanting anything to do with her. "I guess there was a part of me that was wondering why you decided to come and visit when you usually don't really care all that much about my life."

"And there's the resentment that I was talking about."

"Let's not do this over dinner, I would hate to spoil a wonderful evening," the younger Mills huffed sarcastically. "My career is going wonderfully anyway, so."

"What kind of law is it that you work in?" Jerry asked as he awkwardly drank some of his wine, he was obviously feeling the tension and wanted to quell it, Regina could tell that her mother certainly wore the trousers in their relationship, she wouldn't be surprised if the older woman was only with him because of his bank balance, so far Regina hadn't seen one thing that they had in common.

"All kinds, I take on whatever case lands on my desk, prosecution or defence."

"Do you have a favourite?"

"I like to defend when I know the person is innocent and I like to prosecute when I know they are guilty."

"Good rule to live by," Robin chuckled earning a playful shove in response.

"We can't all own our own businesses."

"You have your own business?" Cora asked breaking her moment's silence.

"Yes, I have my own outdoors activity centre, we teach kids to do things like archery, canoeing, rock climbing and loads of other stuff. The kids really love it and its great fun."

Regina glanced over at her mother and for the first time that night she actually looked impressed, she just hoped that Robin continued to wow her, not that she really cared what her mother thought, or at least she would continue telling herself that she didn't care.

"Is that a lucrative business?"

"More so than you might think, lots of kids want to do outdoor sports and parents support that, we also work with schools, I have contracts with a few in the area, so yeah, business is booming. I guess that it helps that we live in a warm part of the country."

"Well, I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised," Cora nodded, just as the food arrived.

Regina's stomach rumbled as her dinner was placed in front of her, it smelt so good and she didn't regret her decision, at least she thought she didn't until Robin's food arrived and she caught sight or the gooey cheese that was melted on top of the rich tomato pasta sauce. "God that looks so good," she moaned, staring at Robin's dinner as she lusted over it.

"I think you should have just ordered the lasagna," Jerry stated even though he knew the reason why she hadn't.

"I am in total agreement with you, I should have."

"Your waistline will thank you for not doing," Cora hummed as she took a bite of her fish, "trust me, Regina, you are getting older, you don't want to be indulging in that many carbs, you need to be maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating a nutritious diet."

"Oh, I don't think its so bad to indulge now and then," Robin countered as he scooped up some of his lasagna and blew on it before holding it up to Regina's lips, "try some."

Regina glanced at her mother, noticing that her eyes were burning into her, telling her not to eat the deliciously sinful forkful that Robin was offering her. She looked back to the Italian goodness that was being wafted in front of her face before giving in and wrapping her mouth around his fork, allowing the cheese and tomato to dance on her taste buds. "Oh wow," she breathed, groaning at the delicious taste that was filling her senses, "that is so good."

"I know right," Robin grinned, he was glad that she had allowed herself to at least try it, he thought with her mother watching over that she might have rejected his offer, even though she knew that she wanted nothing more than to just swap their plates and eat his entire dinner.

"Mine is really wonderful also," Regina stated, the beef bourguignon was good, not as good as the lasagna, but it was still really nice, "how is the sea bass?"

"Slightly too salty for my liking actually," the older woman huffed.

"Oh, that's a shame."

"How about the steak Jerry?" Robin asked, sneaking another forkful of his lasagna onto Regina's plate as she did the same with her beef.

"Just right," he nodded, "the vegetables are done to perfection as well."

"That looks a little bloody to me," Cora scoffed as she looked at his plate.

"Well, its how I like it," Jerry argued back.

"Suit yourself I'm just saying that I wouldn't be able to eat it."

"Good job you don't have to then, mother, isn't it," Regina replied sweetly as she stole a couple of Robin's fries, popping them into her mouth and relishing in the salty taste of them.

After they had all finished eating and Regina had more of Robin's meal than her own, they sat and contemplated whether or not to order from the dessert menu. Cora had complained the whole way through the main course, nothing seemed to be quite right on her plate, the vegetables were overcooked, the potatoes were under-cooked and the fish was too salty, Regina just hoped that she wasn't going to be roped into cooking for her mother because she didn't think that she would be able to take that level of criticism.

"Robin, would you like to share a dessert?" Regina asked, she wanted one but she didn't think that she would be able to manage it alone, not after all the food she had already eaten, she also knew that she and Robin had the same taste when it came to desserts.

"As long as you're going to choose the chocolate orange brownie with white chocolate ice-cream and a raspberry coolie."

"You know me so well," she grinned, leaning in and pressing her lips to his for a brief moment, she was rather enjoying pretending to be together and there had been times during the night where she had felt as though Robin was her actual boyfriend. "I think we should…"

"Regina!"

Regina's eyes shot up from the menu and came into contact with some very familiar blues looking back at her, this could be about to blow the whole thing, "Mal! Lovely to see you," she smiled, standing up to hug her friend, "Robin is pretending to be my boyfriend, please run with it," she whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Well, its been a while since I have seen the two of you, not since the wonderful pool party you threw last month, we really should catch up more," Mal grinned, her gaze wandering from Robin to Regina and then to the older couple sat opposite them.

"Regina, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Cora asked.

"Yes, mother this is Mal, Mal this is my mother."

"Your mother? You have a mother?"

Regina stared at the blonde who was looking at Cora with a completely straight face even after the comment she just made. "Of course, I have a mother," she cringed, she had talked to Mal before about how her mother was never there for her, clearly her friend was using this moment to get a dig in at the older woman. "So, Mal are you here alone or…"

"Regina! My beautiful Latina!" before she could even register what was happening she was almost lifted out of her chair and into a bear hug by none other than Roberto, "you brought Robin with you? Where is Daniel?" Regina's heart sunk as she pulled away from the embrace, she had managed to avoid that happening with Mal only for Robert to blurt it out.

"He and Marian couldn't make it tonight, Regina's mother is staying with us so we decided to reschedule," Robin smiled, shaking Robert's hand. He had seen the need to get Regina out of that one and taken it before her mother could question what he was talking about. "Everyone is so used to seeing us with Daniel and Marian, I get that its weird, its almost as though they are our other half's."

"Very funny," Regina chuckled, wrapping an arm around Robin and leaning her head against his shoulder, she could tell from the look on Roberts face that he knew he had messed up with his comment and she knew that she probably had a lot of explaining to do because her friends were clearly wondering what the hell was going on. "We'll catch up with you sometime, keep in touch."

"I'll call you," Mal nodded with a smile, nodding at Cora, "it was nice to meet you, your daughter is an amazing person," she quipped before grabbing Roberts hand and tugging him back inside the restaurant.

"What strange people," Cora huffed.

"They are our friends' mother," Regina sighed reaching for her purse, "I think I'll forgo the dessert, I'm feeling quite tired, I'll just pop to the restroom," she stood from the table and left Robin sat with her mother and Jerry, she needed a couple of minutes before she totally broke down and confessed everything, she almost felt on the verge of doing that already.

Robin watched her leave and glanced at her mother, the woman was organising her things before she stood up and left the table making a comment about powdering her nose. Robin knew that Regina wasn't going to be happy about her mother following her to the bathroom, she had probably gone there for some time out, not to receive more criticism from her mother.

"Well, I don't think that was too bad," Jerry stated as he sat back in his seat, "Cora told me that she was expecting it to be a nightmare."

"She was?"

"Hmm, she knows that Regina isn't happy with her and that she resents her for being so distant."

"Well, maybe what Regina wanted was a mother who showed her that she loved her and that she was proud of her, instead she got a woman who is never around and doesn't really make an effort to contact her child. I know that Regina is trying, she's doing everything she can to please her mother and she obsesses over being perfect when she shouldn't have to worry about it."

"Are you talking about the lasagna?" the man asked.

"The lasagna is just one part of it but yes, Regina's favourite food is lasagna and I know had her mother not been sat opposite her that would have been what she ordered but she didn't because she didn't want to face the criticism she knew would come her way if she had." Robin didn't know where all that had come from but he was simply stating facts, Regina wanted to impress her mother and most of the things she had done since Cora arrived had been somewhat out of character, sure the sass was still there, but she was usually a lot more outspoken about things.

The waiter came to their table and Robin asked for the bill deciding to go and pay at the bar, Jerry was hot on his heels demanding that he take care of the check, Robin luckily got him to agree to split it.

* * *

Regina placed her hands on the counter and stared at her reflection in the mirror, she didn't know how on earth she had made it through the dinner without losing her sanity. It hadn't gone as badly as she had been expecting and then, of course, Mal and Robert had to show up and nearly blow the whole thing up, she was surprised that they managed to get away with it after that situation but as far as she was aware her mother didn't think that anything was out of the ordinary.

She was kinda annoyed about the dessert because she had been looking forward to it, but she knew that she couldn't bear being out in public with her mother any longer, she wanted to get home and lock herself in her bedroom. It was going to be weird spending the night with just Robin, she had never shared a bed alone with someone who wasn't Daniel, not since they had been together, Daniel had always been with her or there would be more than one other person in the bed, tonight it was going to be just her and Robin.

Regina was about to reapply her lipstick when the door opened and her mother walked in, "okay, since you won't talk to me about it at the table, maybe you'll do it in here."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Regina groaned as she finished her lipstick and slapped her lips together before slipping the tube into her bag and meeting her mother's gaze.

"I'm talking about your obvious resentment, it was clear from the way that woman addressed me that you have said things to people about our relationship, so why not say it to my face?"

"I have done before, but you disregard it and pretend that it isn't there and will go away on its own."

"Regina…"

"You know there was a time when I hated you for how distant you were with me, at times I thought I was unlovable and that it was my fault that…" she was about to say that she thought it was her fault Daniel wanted to start swinging, her mother knew exactly how to rile her up and she had nearly lost her cool. "You have never once told me that you love me, what kind of mother doesn't tell her child that she loves her?"

"Regina I do."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it. I didn't know that the way you show your daughter you love them is to be as distant and cold as you possibly can be whilst simultaneously trying to control their life."

"I do not control your life."

"You used to! You used to control everything until one day I snapped and moved to California so I could escape from you!" Regina hissed, that was partly true, however, it was more to do with her father moving out to California and Regina following him. She knew what she had just said was mean and uncalled for and she could see that her words had hurt her mother. Regina sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"You did mean it Regina and I can't blame you, I do realise that I'm not the best mother and I know I never told you that I love you, but I do love you, very much and I think that maybe I might have been overly controlling, but that was only because I loved you and didn't want you getting hurt."

"Is that why you pushed all the friends and boyfriends I ever had away? Every time I would bring someone home for you to meet, you would say something mean or hurtful and they would leave because I would defend you, telling them that it was just the way you were. I had no friends in high school because they were all scared of you," Regina whispered, this conversation was getting way too deep to be had in a random restroom, they needed to sit down and talk properly about everything, not lose their tempers and yell at each other in public.

"Regina."

"I think we should go home now," she breathed, turning for the exit, she couldn't continue with what she was saying because she was really getting close to losing her temper completely. She found Robin waiting with Jerry in the entrance to the restaurant and offered him a small smile, the sooner she got home the better.

* * *

As soon as the car pulled into her driveway she was getting out and unlocking the door, she murmured goodnight to her mother and Jerry before grabbing a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses and heading straight upstairs. Robin watched her go and shook his head, something had clearly happened in the bathroom, she hadn't said one word during the car journey and neither had her mother, the whole way home it had been left to Robin and Jerry to fill the silence and that had been excruciating.

"So, that was a nice evening."

"Don't be ridiculous Robin, that evening went terribly," Cora huffed, "my daughter clearly hates me and I have failed her as a mother. I think we should just find a hotel to stay at."

"How about you sleep on it and talk to Regina about it tomorrow."

"We are not finding a hotel at this time of night, stop being stubborn," Jerry scolded, "you and Regina will patch things up, you just need to try harder."

Robin tried not to smirk as he watched the older man wandering into the kitchen, he followed behind him and flicked on the kettle, "tea?"

"Please," Jerry nodded.

Robin made the tea and made sure that Cora and her fiancé had everything they needed before heading upstairs, he found Regina already in her silky pyjamas sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed with a glass of wine in her hand as she looked at something on her laptop. "Hey," he sighed as he closed the door behind him and moved further into the room, "I brought you something."

She turned her attention from the screen to him and offered him a slight smile, "you should see Jerry's lodge, it's amazing."

Robin moved over to perch on the bed and glanced at the images of a snowy lodge on the laptop screen, it was how he had expected it to be, a wooden structure on a snowy mountain. Inside the decor was more modern with a sleek kitchen and gorgeous bedrooms, he could see why Cora might want to stay there. "That does look cool."

"Did you say that you brought me something?" she asked, closing her laptop and placing it on her bedside table before turning to look at him expectantly.

"Yeah, thought this might cheer you up," he handed her the box that was in his hand along with a fork.

Regina rose an eyebrow as she opened the box to reveal a chocolate brownie with raspberry coolie, she bit down on her bottom lip before looking up at him, "you got me my dessert?"

"Hmm, I also got this," he handed her the pox of ice cream that he bought from the restaurant to go with the brownie.

"Thank you," she smiled, "you have to share this with me."

"Oh I know, half of that thing is mine," Robin grinned as they both tucked into the chocolate dessert, "want to talk about what happened with your mother?"

"We just argued, as usual, she doesn't understand what she's done wrong and I don't think that she will. I may have said some things that I regret," Regina sighed, after having some time to contemplate her words she realised that she may have been a little too harsh on her mother. "I was horrible to her if I'm honest."

"She did mention finding a hotel to stay at," Robin cringed, watching Regina's face drop as she rubbed a hand over her forehead, "I managed to talk her out of it, seems you are both stubborn women."

"We clash," she chuckled with a shake of her head, "my mother and I have never gotten along very well, we always wanted different things. I am going to have to talk to her tomorrow."

"About tomorrow."

"What?"

"I probably won't be here for most of the day and then tomorrow evening I'm leading my adult's archery class so you may be left to deal with your mother and Jerry alone."

"Are you serious?" Regina asked, it was one thing dealing with the two of them when she had Robin's support, but to have to do it without him, she didn't know if she could. "Robin…"

"I can't get out of it, its work."

"Okay then, do you have any spare spaces on the archery course tomorrow night?"

"I don't follow your… oh, are you serious?"

"I think archery would be a fun activity for us to learn together," Regina grinned mischievously, she would pay good money to see her mother try to learn archery.

"I think I can squeeze you in," Robin chuckled, why not, he usually left a few spaces open for drop-ins and if it meant that Regina wasn't going to have to deal with her mother and Jerry alone he was totally willing to let them attend the course, it would also provide him with the chance to show off his skills in front of Regina, she had never seen where he worked before either so it would be an enlightening experience.

"Well then, sign up the three of us, I've never done archery before."

"You'll have a good teacher to learn from," Robin winked as he stood from the bed and grabbed some boxers before disappearing into the bathroom, Regina watched him go as she finished off the last of the brownie, she knew that her mother was going to hate every minute of tomorrow evening and she couldn't wait.

Robin appeared again, holding out her toothbrush to her, she took it and cleaned her teeth before getting under the covers and holding them open for him to get in with her. She looked at him before reaching out and stroking her fingers over his jawline. "This is strange," she murmured.

"Makes a change from Marian and Daniel getting it on next to us," Robin grinned as his fingers ran down her side before his hand landed at the base of her spine. Regina closed her eyes and nodded in agreement, she looked tired and Robin knew that she'd had a busy day. "You should get some sleep."

"I agree," she hummed before moving closer to him and burying her head against his chest, she had gone tired all of a sudden, it was as though everything that happened that day had finally caught up with her and she was exhausted, Robin was warm and cosy and she couldn't stop herself from cuddling close to him.

He pressed a kiss to her temple and looked down at her, he could tell from her steady breathing that she had already drifted off to sleep, he just hoped that the following day she would be able to make it up with her mother, the last thing he needed was the two of them threatening to shoot one another with arrows. He thought he'd feel weird being in bed with her alone, but instead, it felt peaceful and for the first time since he'd seen her that day, she looked relaxed. "Good night beautiful," he whispered before drifting off himself.


	13. Prelude to the drunkenness

It was usually Regina who woke up in the night, but apparently tonight it was Robin's turn. He glanced down at Regina, watching her as she slept cuddled into his side deep in sleep, she was absolutely perfect. Except, the snoring. He'd never noticed before, but seemingly the brunette beauty was somewhat of a snorer, it wasn't as though it was exceptionally loud, just a soft sound that was... getting louder? As she moved to snuggled closer into him the volume intensified to the point where Robin had no clue how that noise came out of her.

He tried to shuffle her a little bit only made it worse as she tightened her hold on him, nuzzling into his shoulder. Robin chuckled and shook his head before tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. She'd left it to dry naturally after her shower and had beautiful dark ringlets that bounced all the way up to her ears in some places. It made her hair look much shorter than it actually was but she looked gorgeous in her natural beauty.

He watched her for a moment before carefully moving her a little, working to bring a stop the loud noise coming from the woman. He grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple before settling back down again, hopefully, he would be able to fit in another few hours before it was actually time to wake up.

* * *

Regina woke first and smiled when she saw that Robin was fast asleep beside her. She hummed and nuzzled against his shoulder, it was so nice just to go to bed beside someone and just sleep, be able to cuddle them without having to think about sex. Her movement must have been enough to make Robin stir because his arms tightened around her as he let out a low chuckle. "Good morning."

"Hi," she smiled, rolling to lay on her belly so that she could look down at his face, "how did you sleep?"

Robin considered telling her about the snoring but decided against it, he didn't want to ruin the moment by embarrassing her. "I slept surprisingly well."

"Me too," Regina grinned, somehow it had been the most comfortable sleep she'd had in a while which was strange because she had more stress now than she usually had, her mother was here and her boyfriend was in another woman's bed whilst Robin was in hers, she would have thought that she'd have difficulty sleeping but seemingly that wasn't to be the case. Maybe it was because she had grown comfortable with Robin, she didn't know, but she wasn't complaining about feeling fully rested.

"Good, I'm glad, I know that you needed it."

"Do you think we have to fake going out on a jog to try and trick my mother?" she groaned as she ran her fingers over his collar bones, her arms resting on his chest.

"I hope not, I really don't feel like jogging this morning," Robin chuckled, his fingers beginning to caress her back. It just felt so easy to chill out and relax with her. The small silences were enjoyable and he loved having the chance to just look at her and take in every detail.

"That's good to know. What time do you have to go over to the centre?"

"I said I'd be there for ten."

Regina glanced over to the clock, it was only seven thirty which meant that he still had two and a half hours to lounge with her, hopefully, if they stayed cooped up in the bedroom they wouldn't even have to bump into her mother before she left to go visiting with Jerry's brother. "Good, I'm glad."

"You're glad I'm leaving?"

"No, I'm glad that I have a few more hours for just cuddling."

"Don't you have work?"

Regina groaned and pushed him softly, "stop reminding me," she glanced at the case file sitting on her dressing table, she'd dropped it there the day before when she'd arrived home, not having the effort to take it to the office and put it on her desk in there. She was supposed to have been doing that after she got out of the bath but then Robin arrived, followed by her mother and everything went downhill from there and it slipped her mind.

"When are you ever in the office?"

"That's one of the great things about being a lawyer, you get to work from home most of the time unless you're in court or have a staff briefing," she hummed, burying her face against his shoulder and closing her eyes, it was nice to just lounge in bed, even if she was trying to push things to the back of her mind.

"I suppose so," he nodded, he knew that she did go into the office, but he just enjoyed teasing her a little. He held her for a little longer before his fingers stopped caressing her back and stilled at the base of her spine, "I need to get up."

"No," she grumbled, burying further against him.

"I need to shower before I head off."

"You have forever," Regina huffed, her arms wrapping around him as she refused to open her eyes, "you can't move, you're my pillow, you wouldn't want to wake me would you?"

"Regina," he groaned, lying back on the bed, his hands beginning to move again, brushing softly over her skin, "I have to get up."

"You're not leaving."

"Reg…"

"No."

"I need…"

"Nope," she shook her head, moving so that she was virtually lying on top of him, her hair tickling his nose.

"I need to pee," he chuckled, she was just too adorable and he hadn't really ever seen this side of her before, she didn't usually let him see her so at ease, it made a nice change. He had to admit though that for the most part he hadn't relaxed either, the whole swinging situation had him on edge, but now it just seemed so normal to wake up next to her, even if Marian and Daniel weren't with them.

"Hold it in, I'll freeze if you leave the bed."

"What was it you said to your mother last night about it never being cold in California?"

"I take that back, I would be cold if you left me in the bed all alone, plus I don't want you to leave yet because if you do, I know that you won't get back in again."

"Who says that I won't get back in?"

"I know you Robin and I know that you won't," she huffed.

"Okay, what If I promise to come back to bed? Would you let me go pee?"

She peeked up at him and narrowed her eyes before reluctantly rolling off his body, allowing him to slip from the bed. "You better come back or I will be dragging you back," she mumbled, burying her face into her pillow and closing her eyes.

* * *

When Robin re-emerged from the bathroom, he found that Regina had already fallen back to sleep and although he had promised that he would get back in bed there were things that he needed to do. Quietly he crept from the room, closing the door behind him and turning to walk downstairs, he figured that he might as well make a start on breakfast.

He was rather shocked to find Regina's mother sat at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee in her hands as she read from a newspaper. "Cora, I didn't know you were awake," he stated, clearing his throat as he moved past her to grab some things from the fridge, Regina was one of those people who always had everything in, including all the ingredients he would need for breakfast.

"Too much sleep is bad for you," she quipped, glancing at him from over the brim of her glasses. "I noticed that there aren't any pictures of you and Regina around the house and I found this," she slid a framed photo of Regina and Daniel across the table and looked at him, clearly waiting for an explanation. Regina had supposedly quickly scoured the house trying to remove any photographs of her and Daniel, clearly, she had missed one.

"Oh yeah, well, Regina and Daniel used to be together," he stated awkwardly, he didn't know what else to say, "but it didn't last long and now they're just friends, he's moved on and so has she."

"I see, so why is there a photograph of the two of them and none of the two of you."

"I'm camera shy," Robin shrugged as he found some eggs and bacon, god he wished that they had been more prepared for this eventuality because he had no clue what he was saying and whether or not the older woman was believing any of it, she wasn't stupid and clearly, she smelled a rat.

Cora narrowed her eyes at him but chose not to comment on it any further, something that he was extremely grateful about. He was really wishing that he had just kept his promise to Regina, that way he wouldn't have to be in this awkward situation with her mother, he would be in bed with Regina instead.

"We do have photos together, but they're just in other rooms, we prefer to put art on the walls instead of pictures of ourselves." Boy was he glad that Regina had an extensive art collection

"Hmm, I noticed that too, I didn't know my daughter was so into life drawing." Cora cleared her throat and stood from her seat, "I think that maybe you went a little overboard on the pictures of naked women."

"What can I say, we like paintings of naked women," Robin shrugged, he was pretty sure they were Daniel's not Regina's. "Regina is a keen photographer, I don't know if you knew that."

"Photographer?"

"Hmm," Robin nodded, he wanted to get away from the conversation about naked people as quickly as possible, why the hell did Regina choose this morning to be a lazy bum and stay in bed? He was quickly sinking under the strain of having to keep up a façade with her mother and he could do with a helping hand.

"I didn't know that."

"Well, maybe there are a lot of things that you don't know about her," Robin shrugged, "I'm sure she would like to talk about her hobbies and her life with you, but from what she'd told me she thinks that you wouldn't care to hear about it." He knew that he was probably stirring the pot a little, but if he could get Regina and her mother back on better terms maybe she wouldn't be stressing out as much as she had been.

"You're probably right, I am the first to admit that I haven't shown her as much attention as she deserved, but when she moved out here to be closer to her father, I assumed that she didn't want me to interfere with her life so I thought that the best thing for me to do would be to hold back," Cora admitted.

Robin looked at the woman and for the first time since he met her, he began seeing the similarities between the older woman and her daughter. They were both lost and unsure on how they were supposed to find themselves again, he had seen that look on Regina's face a couple of times and came to realise that it was the expression she made when she was thinking about something deeply. "Maybe you should try. If she suggests doing something that you don't necessarily want to, then just do it anyway, show her that you're willing to put in the effort and maybe she'll do the same."

"I think that is good advice. Thank you, Robin."

He looked at her in shock before offering her an awkward smile, "you're welcome."

* * *

"Regina, will you be coming downstairs for breakfast or do you intend to stay in bed the entire morning?"

Regina groaned and buried her face further into her pillow before reaching out for Robin, "urgh, my mother is at the door, I'd almost forgotten that she was here," she huffed, her hand meeting nothing but cold sheets when she attempted to tap him. She opened one eye and noticed that he was gone from the bed, "traitor," Regina scoffed.

"Regina, are you awake?"

"No," she sighed before moving to get up, she knew that if she didn't her mother would most likely come into her room, as she had done as a child, and pull her duvet off her, forcing her to wake up. She, unlike her mother, had never really been one for early mornings, that was until the last year with Daniel where she seemed to be waking earlier and earlier, her sleep habits were verging on insomnia.

"Re…"

"I'm up! Geez, god what am I twelve?"

"I thought not, but you're certainly acting like a moody pre-teen right now," Cora scoffed.

"Urgh, why aren't you pestering Zelena instead of me?"

"You know Zelena is living in England, but at least she actually thinks to get on the phone once in a while, she still makes the effort."

Regina sighed, her mother really had a way of making her feel guilty and that was usually by using everything that Zelena did right. When she was younger Regina had always known that her older sister was her mother's favourite child, the perfect daughter. To be honest, Regina knew that she should make more effort to keep in touch with the family she had, she couldn't remember the last time she had called her sister to just chat about life. Regina took a breath before grabbing her dressing gown and opening the door, coming face to face with her mother, "are we going for breakfast or what?" she asked, moving past the older woman and heading downstairs.

When she reached the kitchen, she noticed Robin plating up some sort of cooked breakfast and she had to admit that it smelt amazing. "You broke your promise," she mumbled as she took the cup of coffee he was holding out to her.

"Well I'm sorry your majesty, but some of us have to get up for work and take care of our guests."

"I could have done that."

"You needed to catch up on your sleep," he chuckled, reaching past her to grab a selection of fruit from the bowl before cutting it up and making a fruit salad. "I thought we could eat on the patio."

"You really did think of everything," she grinned, leaning in and pressing her lips gently to his without even really taking into consideration what she was doing. "Thank you."

She headed out onto the patio where she found her mother and Jerry already around the table tucking into their breakfast, she politely wished them good morning before finding her own seat. "So, what time will you be leaving to visit your brother?"

"Probably after breakfast, we should be back at about six, so I don't know what plans are for dinner, if you…"

"Well, actually, I was thinking that maybe we could try something new," Regina stated, remembering her conversation with Robin the night before and just how much she loved the idea of seeing her mother being made to try sports.

Cora turned to look at her and raised a single eyebrow just as Robin was emerging through the patio doors. He glanced at the older woman and yet again saw part of Regina, she was always doing that. He chose not to comment on it and placed her breakfast in front of her before beginning to eat his own.

"Something new?"

"Hmm. Well, I have been meaning to have Robin teach me archery for a while and I thought that it might be a nice group activity for us all to do, especially since Robin has his class on tonight anyway and won't be able to join us. What do you think?" Regina asked, looking at her mother expectantly, evilly loving the rather tortured look on her mother's face, she could tell that the woman desperately wanted to say no.

"I think that it's a wonderful idea," Jerry nodded, answering for Cora as she simply sat there, wordless. Regina thought that it was the first time in her entire life she had seen her mother at a loss for words, but here she was, completely silent.

"Mother?"

Cora's head snapped up and she blinked slightly, "well, it will be something new, but I suppose I'd be willing to give it a go if that is how you wish to spend your time," she quipped, glancing at Robin before her gaze returned to Regina.

The younger of the Mills women looked at her mother in shock, now it was her turn to be stunned, she had been expecting some kind of snide remark and a refusal of the suggestion, but her mother had clearly just said that she would go.

"This should be fun," Cora smiled.

"Yes, yes it should," Regina replied as she nodded her head. She didn't know if she would ever recover from the shock.

* * *

Silence rang through the house as Regina sat at the desk in her office working through some case files, she was so close to cracking this one, she could feel it in her bones. There was just one vital piece of evidence that she needed to find and then she was sure that justice would be done, that the right person would be punished for their crimes. She adjusted the black frames that balanced on her nose as she flicked the page over, her eyes scanning over the words written there.

Then she spotted it, the thing she had been looking for, she scrambled for her phone and quickly called into the office to tell them about her findings, as soon as she was off the phone, she heard the doorbell ring out through the house. She tucked her hair behind her ear before heading downstairs and glancing through the peephole. She furrowed her eyebrows before opening the door, "Ava?"

"Regina," the older woman smiled, "can I come in?"

"I suppose so," she nodded, she didn't have the first idea what the woman wanted.

"Daniel in?"

"Not at the moment no, in fact, I'm working from home today so I will need to get back to it in a moment. Was there something specific that you wanted?" Regina rested against the console table which stood in the hallway, she didn't think that she'd ever even had a proper conversation with her.

"I came to talk to you actually. I found this," she stated, holding up a red slip that Regina recognised immediately, her heart sank as she stared at the item and back to Ava. "I think Leo might be cheating and I just wondered, has Daniel ever been with someone else without you being there?"

Regina shook her head, snapping herself out of her shock before staring at Ava as though she had just grown a second head. The woman was holding her underwear in her hands whilst talking about her husband sleeping with other women. What the actual hell was going on? She hadn't even realised that it was missing, she'd simply assumed that whilst she had been at Robin and Marian's Daniel had been too lazy to do laundry. "Where did you find it?" she asked, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. It was a nervous habit, she couldn't help it.

"It was under his pillow when I changed the bedding, he has guests over today and I just told him that I was going out to get groceries."

"Well, I… that's mine," Regina stated, "I'd put it in the laundry basket the day someone broke in and haven't seen it since."

"What? Are you sure? Plenty of people could have the same slip."

"That's true, but do plenty of people stitch their initials into the hem?" she asked, gesturing to the neat golden RM embroidered onto the bottom corner, she did that to most of her underwear, mainly because she liked to keep track of them and make sure that she got them all back should they be left somewhere.

Ava's eyes widened as she looked up at Regina in disbelief, a similar expression playing on her face as the one that Regina had been wearing when she first laid eyes on her underwear in the other woman's hands. "Are you suggesting that Leo broke into your house and stole this?"

Regina went silent, she didn't know what to think, but how else had he managed to get his hands on it because she had definitely been wearing it that morning and she could remember putting it in the laundry room to be washed before she had her bath. The whole situation gave her the creeps, in fact, she was more freaked out now that she had been when it happened. The thought of Leopold being in her house when she was alone and vulnerable and then stealing her clothes, it made her want to throw up.

"You can't tell anyone about this."

"Are you joking, Ava, he broke into my home and stole my underwear!"

"I'm sure he was just having an off day."

"An off day?! An off day is forgetting to add milk to your coffee or misplacing your phone, not breaking and entering!"

"Regina…"

"I'm sorry Ava, I really am, but I have to report this," she stated, turning to find a phone.

"Report what?"

She stopped what she was doing and straightened up before turning to look at the older woman, she knew what was going on, Ava was going to call her a liar, she was going to fabricate some story to make her look crazy. Regina closed her eyes and shook her head, "I can't believe you're just going to let him get away with this."

"It's not as though he hurt you, he took some clothes, big deal."

"Are you serious? You don't think that what he did was wrong?" her heart constricted in her chest. If Daniel had ever done something like that, he would have been out on his ass so quickly and she would have been the first person to report him, it wasn't sane behaviour, but clearly, Ava couldn't see that. Or maybe she was more interested in protecting her husband.

"Here, you might as well have it back now. I suppose I'll see you at the next party, bye darling," she draped the slip over the back of the couch before showing herself out.

Regina stared at the door, she felt completely violated in a way that she hadn't before, even with all the times she'd gone along with swinging when she hadn't been in the mood, she'd never felt quite like she did right in that moment. She hurried over to the door and locked it before sliding on the bolt for good measure, she'd finally begun to feel safe being there alone and now all that had been ruined once again. Her back slid down the door and she buried her head against her knees, she just wanted to feel safe and if she couldn't even feel that in her own home then, where could she?

She was drawn out of her wallowing when her mobile began to ring in her office upstairs, she forced herself to get up before hurrying to find her phone. When she reached the room she had to search under papers, only for the phone to cut off just as she had it in her hands ready to answer. She saw Daniel's name on her missed calls list and sat down in her chair before calling him back, it only rang a couple of times before he answered.

"Hey good looking, how's it going with mommy dearest?" he asked with a chuckle, she could tell that he was trying to wind her up but she was already near breaking point, she definitely needed a stiff drink.

"I found out who broke into our house."

"Wait, what?" the playfulness dropped from her boyfriend's voice completely and she could hear the concern in his tone, she had to admit that it was a refreshing change to actually hear him worry about her.

"Hmm, I had a visit from Ava today. She was concerned that Leo was cheating, said she found a woman's slip under his pillow, when she showed it to me, I realised that it was mine. The one I had put in the laundry basket the day of the break-in."

"What the fuck?! I'll kill him!"

"Daniel!"

"The dirty old bastard took your underwear, I'll damn well go around there right now and break his bloody nose."

"Calm down," Regina sighed, she should have known that he would be irrational about the whole situation, not that he had any right to be when he had been the one who brought the man into their lives in the first place. If it wasn't for Daniel, Regina would never have had the displeasure of meeting Leopold Blanchard and her life would be so much better for it. "I appreciate that you're angry, but violence isn't going to solve anything."

"Did you call the police?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Regina groaned and rubbed a hand over her head, she could hardly tell him that she was scared of going to them and having them tell her that she was making things up and should stop wasting their time. "I just don't think that's the best way to handle it that's all."

"What is the best way then, because you won't let me hit him and you won't call the police, so what are we going to do about it, just let him get away with it?"

She'd hoped that talking to Daniel would help her calm down about it, but it was just making her feel worse. "I can't talk to you when you're acting like this."

"Regina," his voice softened and she leant back in her chair, "I'm just worried about you, that's all. I want to come home."

"You know that's not possible right now," she sighed. Why was her life such a mess?

"I miss you, I've hardly even seen you all week."

"I…" she was about to tell him that she missed him too, but the heart-wrenching thing was, she didn't, she had barely recognised that he wasn't there, hadn't given it much thought. She wasn't supposed to be feeling this way, it wasn't how things were meant to go. "I'll see you soon Daniel, bye."

"Bye," he whispered before cutting the phone off.

Regina placed her own phone down on the desk and stared at the ceiling, she really needed to sort her life out.

* * *

Her mother and Jerry had returned home a few hours ago and Regina had retreated to her room, first, she had stayed in her office with the excuse that she was still working and now she was trying to find something suitable to wear to the archery class they would be attending in around an hour. She searched her wardrobe, rummaging through item after item, what were you actually supposed to wear when learning archery? She had no idea what the right clothes would be.

She decided on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a red plaid shirt which was paired with a red cami, she wasn't sure if she had ever dressed quite so casual around Robin, apart from when she was lounging around his house in sweatpants, but she was feeling the look and knew that her mother probably wouldn't approve, so the outfit was perfect.

She changed and looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror situated in the corner of the room, her outfit reminded her of what she used to wear when she'd go riding, but she hadn't been in years, not since she met Daniel. She missed it, she had a passion for horses and somehow, she had managed to lose that, lose a part of herself, yet if she was honest, that wasn't the only part of herself she had lost since she'd been with Daniel, she was a shadow of the person she used to be. She'd been so blinded by her love for him that she had let it happen, she'd let herself slowly disappear.

Shaking her head, she moved away from the mirror, she didn't want to think about it anymore, it hurt too much to think of how her life had turned out.

She applied some of her signature lipstick before grabbing her purse and heading downstairs to find some shoes from the cloakroom. She pushed the door open and grabbed some heeled ankle boots, when she came out again she had a horrible realisation. She hadn't locked the door to the basement, she'd completely forgotten. As quickly as she could she ran up the stairs to find the keys, she prayed to God that her mother hadn't already gone down there, Robin and Marian hadn't even been down there yet, she certainly didn't want her mother laying eyes on some of that stuff.

Regina didn't tend to use the playroom all that much, it was more for whenever Daniel would throw a swinger's party and people wanted a place to go, at those types of parties she tried to avoid that room at all costs. She'd been in there a couple of times in the early years but it had never really been her thing, she wasn't an exhibitionist like some of the other women and it just made her feel awkward.

"Regina."

She jumped out of her skin as she slipped the key into her back pocket and turned to face her mother, "ready to go?" she asked, moving away from the door and manoeuvring her mother with her, even seeing her close to it, knowing what was down there, made her feel gross. She'd had a small vibrator when she was still living at home and the thought of her mother accidentally finding it had always worried her, she didn't know why she felt embarrassed by it, but she certainly did. So, the thought of her finding the playroom decked out in all its glory with god knows how many toys down there was just not something she even wanted to consider.

"I think we're about ready yes," Cora nodded, she didn't really look the part, she looked more like she was about to go out for afternoon tea or a business meeting. Cora Mill didn't do casual. Regina had never seen her out of her smart trousers, pantsuits and dresses, even her nightwear had always screamed class.

"Is that what you're wearing?"

"What's wrong with this?"

"I just think maybe you might look a little out of place at an archery range wearing that."

"Well, maybe we should be going to a cocktail bar or something instead."

"Mother, you agreed to this and I'm not forcing you to come."

"I know that I agreed and I'll be keeping my word, but I still think we could have found something better to do and Robin could have joined us after he was finished with his class."

"Cora," Jerry tutted as he reached the bottom of the stairs and shook his head at the older woman, "we talked about this earlier," he quipped casting her a poignant look. Regina furrowed her eyebrows, of course, she knew that they must talk to one another, its just she never thought that her mother would let another person tell her what to do, her father certainly hadn't been able to. Jerry seemed like a different story altogether, she seemed to pay attention to him, he stood up to her when she tried to belittle him, something Henry had never been able to do. It seemed as though Cora Mills had finally met her match.

"I know," she sighed, finding her own shoes, "I don't own anything more casual than this Regina, so what do you suggest I wear?" she asked, fiddling with the buttons of her shirt, it was the first time she had ever seen her mother feel uncomfortable in her own clothes and it was disconcerting, to say the least.

"It'll be fine, mother, the class doesn't last long, maybe we can go out for a drink after if we're all still alive," Regina shrugged, after the day she'd had she needed all the alcohol she could get into her system. She knew that drinking wasn't good and she didn't do it often, but every now and then she just felt the need to let loose and get drunk, whether that was a good idea in front of her mother she didn't know, but to be honest, she couldn't give a damn.

"Well, alright then," Cora nodded, composing herself as she glanced to her fiancé.

Regina smirked to herself as she headed out of the door, her mother had certainly met her match.

* * *

Half an hour later Regina pulled up at the activities centre and found a parking spot, she'd never been before so it was touch and go for a moment when she was trying to navigate there, unfortunately, her mother and Jerry weren't much help on that front.

She slipped out of the car and looked around, the first thing she noticed was that there were trees everywhere, but of course there were, this was Robin, he literally smelt like forest.

She glanced at the modern building and the three of them headed inside. The receptionist greeted them with a polite smile as Regina walked over to her, "hello, we're here for archery."

The woman looked at her mother and Jerry before her eyes widened, "you must be Robin's girlfriend."

Regina blinked as she stared at the petite blonde, he'd told her that she was his girlfriend? "Um, yes that's me."

"Well it's great to meet you, Regina, he talks about you all the time."

He probably talked about Marian but just hadn't mentioned her name, there was no way he actually talked about her. "Lovely to meet you too," she glanced at the name tag, "Katrina."

"Call me Tink, everyone else does," she chuckled. "Well then folks, right this way, follow me."

Regina smiled to herself, she liked this woman, it wasn't very often she met someone that she took an instant like to.

"So, Robin is in there, a couple of people have already arrived, so just go in," she grinned before bouncing off back in the direction of the entrance.

Regina peered through the small window and spotted Robin immediately, he was standing with a bow in his hand as he talked to another man, laughing at something he said. She pushed the door open and made her way over to them, "hey."

"Hi! You're here!" Robin exclaimed enthusiastically as he gently pressed his lips against hers.

"Yep, you knew we were coming." She was rather surprised that he was being so forward in public, she liked it though, it was nice.

"Yeah I know, it's just nice to have you here that's all," he shrugged.

"Well it's nice to be here," she glanced at the man who Robin had been talking to, noticing the smirk on his face.

"Regina, this is Graham, he works here at the centre."

"Hello," she nodded at him, "so is that what we'll be using?" She asked, gesturing to the bow he was holding.

"Similar ones yeah, this one is mine though."

"Oh, are we not allowed to use that one?" She questioned with a smirk.

"I might let you," he winked, "but no one else is allowed." He handed it to her and she took it from him, her eyes running over the wood, taking in the grains, she had to admit it was a special piece of craftsmanship. "Cora, Jerry, Graham will be looking after you and teaching you the basics, then we'll all group back together." Robin smiled, his hand finding its way to rest on Regina's lower back.

Regina looked up at him, a grin forming on her face, he looked so comfortable here, so at home, it was clearly his place, somewhere he thrived.

Once her mother had gone off with Graham, she turned to face Robin, her fingers playing with his bow, "thanks for agreeing to this."

"Thank you for showing an interest."

"Can I just ask, why do all your work colleagues think I'm your girlfriend? What about Marian?"

"She's never been here," Robin shrugged, every time he had mentioned her coming to check out the activity centre and meet his friends, she made an excuse so eventually he'd just given up trying. When Regina had told him that she wanted to do this and she showed actual interest in his work, he simply got carried away and told everyone that his girlfriend would be coming to take part tonight, things had just escalated from there.

"Really? How long have you had this place?"

"Five years or so," he shrugged, he knew that it sounded bad and he didn't want Regina to think less of Marian because of it, she just wasn't a sporty person. He could see it though, the disbelief was written on her face, he couldn't really blame her.

"Well, I'm excited to be here," she smiled, watching as more people filed into the room, she realised that some of these people probably already knew how to use a bow and arrow, but she didn't have the first idea on how to go about it. "I have a feeling that I might look like a little bit of an idiot in front of these people."

"I doubt you could ever look like an idiot, don't worry, you picked a good session to turn up to, none of these people have done archery before, all the people who had were in the class before," Robin chuckled, squeezing her hand lovingly before moving to stand in front of everyone, positioned with the targets behind him. "Hi everyone, I'm Robin, this is Graham and we'll be teaching you all a bit of archery tonight, I know that you're all new to this, so don't worry about how good you are at it, just try not to take anyone's eye out and I think we'll all be fine."

Regina grinned and played with Robin's bow, she wondered why he hadn't taken it off her, she felt a little strange being the only one stood there with, what was potential, a weapon in her hands. She was excited to learn how to use it and just hoped that she would be good at it, or at the very least, better than her mother.

* * *

"Robin, can you help me?" Regina asked after trying and failing to hold the bow properly for nearly ten minutes, she was coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to be as good as she hoped, in fact, she was feeling a little bit like a failure. Her mother, with the help of Graham, had already managed to fire an arrow and she couldn't even nock the arrow.

"With pleasure. Stand here with your feet squared," he placed his arms around her and helped her with her stance, placing her in the correct position for optimal aiming. "Good," Robin nodded, his hands slipping down to her waist.

"Watch where you're putting your hands, Locksley." She warned jokingly, glancing over her shoulder at him with a sly grin.

"Mills, you weren't complaining in the hall yesterday when I..."

"Robin," she gasped "my mother is just there."

"Just making a point milady, also, I'm pretty certain your mother already knows what we were getting up to anyway," he moved closer to her ear, adjusting the bow in her hand. He dropped a kiss on her neck, earning a quiet gasp from her. "Now, put this hand here, grasp the arrow, pull back." His hands were on top of hers guiding her as she moved back a little, pressing her ass into him. She looked over her shoulder at him, winking, she knew that this was bound to affect him and she was right.

"Gina, seriously."

"You're the one who was messing with me."

"You do know that if you carry on like that, you're going to have to stand in front of me for the rest of the night," he chuckled, his cheeks flushing a little.

"Not a problem," she giggled.

He needed to get his mind off what was going on in his pants and back onto teaching her, shaking his head he refocused himself and nudged her slightly, in her bid to distract him she had managed to lose her stance. "Right, hold it steady and focus on the target," he instructed his hands adjusting her arms before tilting her chin so that she was in the correct position. "Okay, now pull the arrow back." His hand went with hers, his body pressed flush against her back, "breathe in and release."

He let go of her and she did as she was told, the arrow flew from the bow and struck the target, "I did it!" she squealed, turning around to wrap her arms around him, "thank you."

"Well done," he grinned, hugging her, "you did great. With a little more practice who knows, maybe you'll be better than me."

* * *

A couple of hours later the session was over, they'd ended it by having a miniature competition in which Regina, her mother and another member of the group managed to get to the final round, it seemed that she wasn't the only one who had managed to get a handle on her bow. Her mother was competitive as always, but in the end, it was the other person who won and, in a way, Regina was glad about it, as much as she wanted to win she knew it would probably just have caused another rift between her and her mother.

By the time Robin had closed up and they'd eaten it was coming close to ten pm, Regina glanced at her mother and Jerry before turning to Robin, they were waiting for the bill for their food and she was contemplating what to do next. Part of her felt that it was a little early to be returning home and she had no idea what they would do once they arrived there. "Drinks?"

"Sounds like a plan," Robin nodded in agreement, he was glad she was making the call, he wasn't going back to her place to play board games with her mother and her mother's fiancé. Also, a little alcohol wouldn't hurt. Dinner hadn't been as awkward as the one the night before, but seemingly Cora had still found little things to pick up on, even if she was trying to be more understanding, she obviously couldn't help herself, it was as if the words just tumbled from her mouth before she could even try and stop them.

"I know a good cocktail bar mother if you would like to join us."

"I suppose a couple of drinks won't hurt," Cora stated.

* * *

**What could possibly go wrong?**


	14. Drunken Marshmallows and Red-headed Sluts

Drinks were a big, big mistake. Robin couldn't believe that he ever thought it would be a good idea, it hadn't taken much for Regina to get tipsy, he was surprised by how quickly it had happened. One minute she had been absolutely fine, quietly sipping on a cocktail, and the next she had been more hyper than he had ever seen her before.

"I think you should slow down," Robin murmured as Regina reached for the pitcher in the centre of the table and poured herself another drink, he hadn't really been counting how many she'd had, but considering how quickly the shared pitcher had gone down, it was quite a few.

"Why? I've only had a couple," she argued bringing the glass to her lips, "this one is really good."

"Its not soda, Regina," her mother huffed, she was still on her first glass and Robin could tell just by looking at her that she didn't want to be there, she would probably much prefer to be at home in bed with a good book, Regina was usually the same, but apparently tonight she was going for it with the alcoholic beverages.

"I know that," Regina scoffed as she looked across the table at the older woman, "why are you with my mom Jerry?" she asked, "you just seem nice and I don't get it."

Robin cringed as he rubbed a hand over his face, he probably shouldn't have let her get in such a state so quickly, he knew that the cocktails weren't the only alcohol she'd had since they left the activities centre, she'd disappeared to the bar a couple of times in the restaurant. It didn't make much sense to him because she didn't usually drink that much and he had never seen her drunk, he didn't know what made today so different. It couldn't even be her mother to blame because they were getting on rather well. He wondered if something had happened during the day, something she wasn't telling him about.

Jerry glanced at Cora, "I love your mother."

"Yeah, but why?"

"Regina," Robin warned, he could tell that if he let her carry on with what she was saying her mother was going to get hurt and she would wake up full of regret from saying such hurtful things. "Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything," she sighed as she picked up her drink again, "I was just saying that sometimes she can be mean and it isn't nice. Maybe she's just mean to me. Is that true, are you just mean to me, mommy?" Regina asked.

The look on her face changed and Robin had to admit that she looked a little bit like a sad little girl who felt neglected by her parents. He watched her, trying to guess what was going to come out of her mouth next, what else her alcohol-addled brain might come up with.

"Sometimes I just want lasagna, but you won't let me."

"I'm not talking to you when you're in this state," Cora scoffed, standing from her seat, "do you have a key to the house, we'll head back now if its all the same to you."

"Yeah sure, I should probably get Regina back anyway," Robin groaned, what had started out as a good night had all of a sudden gone downhill.

"I want to stay here, I don't want to go back there, Robin, don't make me go back, I don't like it there."

"Regina, you're a mess," her mother huffed, "we'll see you back at the house Robin," she sighed as she took the key from his hand and left the bar with Jerry quick on her heel.

Regina leaned back in her chair and stared at Robin with her eyes wide like saucers, "see, she always leaves. I don't want to go back there."

"What are you talking about?" Robin chuckled, pushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, she was usually so composed that it was strange seeing her inhibited. She was always in control, but right now there wasn't a shred of that in sight.

"Leopold."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows, he wasn't sure if he followed her drift, "Gina, Leopold isn't going to be there."

"He broke in though," she huffed out, staring into the deep red cocktail in her hand. "Where are Daniel and Marian?"

"Probably at my place. What do you mean he broke in?" She'd clearly tried to change the subject but he was more interested in hearing what she had been saying beforehand.

"He did, he took my slip, dirty old pervert."

This was the first Robin was hearing about this, he thought she hadn't known who had broken in, she hadn't told him that she knew, it was serious, Leopold had committed a crime and should be punished for it, not to forget that it sounded as though he was basically stalking her. "Well, don't worry, he won't be coming near you again, I'll make sure of that."

"I know you will, you always protect me don't you Robin," she smiled, humming as she laid her head against his shoulder, "I know that you'll keep me safe, that you won't let anyone hurt me."

"Okay then, I think we should get you home now."

"One more drink, what harm is one more drink going to cause."

"I'm not sure, I think you've probably had more than enough."

"But I didn't get to try the Red-headed Slut."

"What?"

"The Red-headed Slut!" she shouted a bit louder, earning a couple of sideways glances from other tables, "look there," she pointed at the cocktail menu and Robin realised that she was talking about a drink.

"Maybe we can save the red-headed slut until next time," Robin chuckled but Regina just rolled her eyes and stood from her seat before walking over to the bar in a surprisingly straight line, he had at least been expecting her to wobble but she hadn't so he was pretty impressed. He should stop her from ordering another drink if he wanted to save her from the world's worst hangover in the morning, but seemingly she was dead set on what she wanted and what she wanted at that moment was a red-headed slut.

She reappeared with a drink in both hands and passed one to Robin, before she could drink it, something piqued her interest from outside and she cocked her head, "have you seen that?"

"Seen what?"

"The karaoke bar, I didn't even know that was there."

"Oh god, no."

"Come on Robin! It'll be fun, I wouldn't dare do it when sober."

"You were absolutely trashed a moment ago."

"Was I? Or was I just wishing to get my mother to leave so we could have some fun alone?" Regina asked, trying to wink at him as she gathered her things.

He had no clue what to think at the moment, he was certain, absolutely positive that she was drunk, maybe somewhere in her drunk brain, she had worked out how to act as though she was sober so he would do whatever she asked of him. "Still pretty sure that you're drunk."

"And I'm still pretty sure that I want to go and do karaoke right now, please Robin, just one song, that's all I want and then we can go home. Pinkie promise."

What harm would it do, so yeah, maybe she would make a fool of herself in front of a bunch of strangers, at least there was a good chance of her forgetting what happened come morning. "Do you even know what song you want to sing? How are you going to remember the words when you can hardly talk without your voice being slurred?"

"Let's go." She finished her Red-headed slut before turning to the door and leaving him behind.

With a roll of his eyes he downed the rest of his own drink before following after her, the last thing he wanted was for her to get lost in the crowd. Once he caught up with her, he placed his hand on her lower back and escorted her out of the bar, he could hear singing coming from the karaoke bar and immediately knew this was a bad idea, he hadn't sung in a long time and there was no way that Regina would be getting him to join in, he would sling her over his shoulder and carry her home before that happened.

"I know which song I want to sing already," she grinned as she pushed the door open and headed inside. The first thing that struck Robin was the bright neon lights which were placed in each corner of the building, drenching the place in iridescent colour. There were booths and tables scattered around, whilst an older slightly balding man stood on the stage doing some weird rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

"Can I have, I'm Outta Love, by Anastasia please," Regina requested as she walked up to a guy who was standing by the songbook, clearly taking people's requests.

"There's a waiting list lady, you're gonna have to wait your turn."

Regina groaned and turned to Robin, "pay the man Robin."

"What are you talking about?"

"Pay the man, you know," she half winked, doing some strange thing with her hand which he could only assume was some kind of lawyer gesture.

Robin narrowed his eyes at her and the man holding the songbook was watching her with a strange expression on his face, "she'll go on the waiting list, maybe then I stand the chance of sobering her up a little."

"I'm not even drunk, I'm barely tipsy," Regina scoffed, nearly falling over even though she was standing still, "also, you can't have watched many movies if you didn't understand what I meant when I said pay the man."

"I think I did understand, but there is no way I'm bribing the guy to let you go next."

"Urgh, you're no fun, Daniel would have done it."

"Regina…"

"Daniel would have…"

"Probably taken you somewhere far less savoury than a karaoke bar," Robin scoffed, he felt that he would be okay to let his opinion of the man spill out a little whilst she was drunk.

"Like?"

"I dunno, a strip club or something."

"Swingers club actually, but close," she shrugged, shrivelling her nose up at the thought, "you would be surprised at the number of old men I had to endure seeing naked," Regina gagged, "with their shrivelled-up dicks and beer bellies."

"Nice."

"No, not nice, vomit inducing actually, once I nearly did throw up on someone."

"Why the hell did you go along with it?" Robin asked as he watched Regina talk about it, the sheer disgust in her voice made her thoughts on the matter clear.

"Because I'm a complete gullible idiot."

"Did Daniel ever force you?"

"Not as such, I tried to make sure that I was on the sidelines whenever possible," she whispered, looking down at her hands, "anyway, I don't want to think about that now, I want to do this, I want to sing. Pay the man Robin!"

"I'm not paying the man, come on, we'll go find a booth and wait."

"More drinks!"

"Definitely not, unless it's water or something that might sober you up a little."

"Oh, you're no fun."

"I need to go to the bathroom, go find a table," she ordered, pushing him softly as she headed in the direction of the ladies' room.

Robin grabbed some soda's and found a table, he felt so bad for her having to live that life with Daniel, it wasn't what she deserved, he knew that she was too worried to leave him, scared that no one else would want her, that she wasn't good enough, but it wasn't true. Sure, she had finally started to stand up for herself, but seemingly it was too little too late, the damage had already been done and she had lost all concept of self-worth because of that man. For the first time since he met him, Robin truly hated Daniel.

When Regina re-emerged, she was holding a tray with six shots on it, "need a little liquid courage," she chuckled.

"You were meant to be going to the bathroom."

"I did go, but I came back via the bar," she grinned, turning to look at the stage and watch as a woman tackled Belinda Carlyle's, Heaven is a Place on Earth. "I like this one," she hummed, her head bopping to the music as she sang along quietly.

Robin watched her and couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face, she looked like she was having fun, she was letting loose and not worrying about the people around her.

"Baby I was afraid before, but I'm not afraid anymore," she sang, turning to look at him, her eyes sparkling playfully as the woman finished the song. Regina slid around the booth a little so she was actually sat beside him, her body pressed into his side. "I don't know why I've never been here before," she sighed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"All of the song choices are so cheesy," Robin chuckled, his arm wrapping around her shoulder as placed one of the sodas in front of her.

"That's the point of karaoke though," she pointed out, "that's what makes it fun. Daniel wouldn't be seen dead in here."

"Why not?"

"Oh, he thinks its stupid."

"It is a little."

"Oh yeah, but its fun as well," Regina grinned, raising her eyebrows at him, "but look how happy people are when they are murdering a good song."

"You have a point there."

* * *

After a few more people sang, all choosing tunes from the 80s and 90s or a song by Ed Sheeran, the song bookman approached them, "Hey lady, your turns coming up."

"0oh yay!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Robin asked, looking at her sceptically as she stood from the booth, removing the heeled boots that had been on her feet and shaking her hair out.

"Of course," she nodded, looking at the man who was still holding onto his songbook like it was his prized possession, "lead the way songmeister." The man simply sighed a led her through the crowd, she turned to grin at Robin before concentrating on where she was going. Robin could just about see as the man prepped her to go on stage, he couldn't remember what song it was that she said she was going to be singing.

The person on the stage finished their song and Regina was helped up, she made her way over to the microphone and did an awkward little wave, "hi folks, this song is dedicated to all the asshole boyfriends out there," she grinned as the backing track started up.

_"Now baby come on, don't claim that love you never let me feel. I shoulda known, 'cause you brought nothin' real. C'mon be a man about it you won't die, I ain't got no more tears to cry and I can't take this no more, you know I gotta let you go and you knowwww! I'm outta love, set me free and let me out this misery. Just show me the way to get my life again, 'cause you can't handle me. Said I'm outta love, can't you see, baby that you gotta set me free, I'm outta love, yeah."_

_"Said how many times have I tried to turn this love around? But every time you just let me down. C'mon be a man about it you'll survive. I'm sure that you can work this out all right. Tell me yesterday did you know? I'd be the one to let you go and you know…"_

Robin watched her in shock, he had been expecting yet another cheesy ballad not what was going on in front of him right now. She was actually a good singer, despite the slight tuning issues which occurred at certain parts of the song. She was rocking out and clearly enjoying the experience. He couldn't help but wonder why she'd picked the song and if she was using it in reference to Daniel.

_"Baby that you gotta set me free, I'm outta… let me get over you, the way you gotten over me too, yeah. Seems like my time has come and now I'm movin' on. I'll be stronger! I'm outta love, set me free and let me out this misery, show me the way to get my life again, 'cause you can't handle me. Said I'm outta love can't you see baby that you gotta set me free, I'm outta love!"_

The song came to an end and the people in the bar cheered for Regina as she did a little curtsy and slipped off the stage in a less than elegant manner before hopping over to him, he was concerned about her bare feet but clearly, she didn't have a care in the world. "Robin! Did you see me? Did you see?" she asked, falling into the booth and moving that she was closer than he had expected.

"Yep I saw you," he grinned, she was pretty much on top of him, but her happiness was contagious.

"That was so much fun, god," she breathed, sitting back in her chair and staring at him, "you look so good right now."

"And that is our cue to head home."

"I'm being serious."

"You're still drunk and I'm not going to be irresponsible and let you drink anything else." She'd already made her way through four of the six shots she'd purchased and he was cutting her off, cleaning up vomit definitely wasn't on his to-do list. "Come on shall we head back home now?"

"I suppose so, I did pinkie promise," she rolled her eyes as she found her shoes and tried to pull them on the wrong feet. Robin shook his head and stood up, moving around to her side, he grasped her ankles and pulled her towards him earning something akin to a giggle from Regina as she leant back at watched him.

"When you can't even put your shoes on the right feet you know you're drunk."

"So maybe I might be a tiny weeny bit drunk, but I'll be fine Robin, you don't have to worry about me, I'm a tough cookie," she reassured as he helped her stand up so they could make their way out of the bar. "That saying is silly really, because who wants their cookies to be tough? Cookies should be gooey and soft in the middle, maybe a little crispy on the outside," Regina hummed, "I could eat a cookie right now. Is the store still open?"

Robin glanced at his watch it was 11.30 so he doubted that many places would still be open, "I think target might be open but it closes in half an hour and…"

"Come on then! We have to get there quickly and buy cookies," she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along the sidewalk.

Robin groaned but went along with her anyway, she was going surprisingly quickly considering the amount of alcohol in her system. He knew that the nearest target was just around the corner so she would probably have time to pop in and grab her cookies. They rounded the corner and the store came into view, she dashed inside, ignoring the man stood at the door telling them that the shop was closing soon, Robin apologised to him and told him that she was literally just grabbing some cookies, before following her inside.

She darted around the aisles as he tried to keep up, somehow, she immediately found the cookies, it was almost as though she had sniffed them out. She grinned at him before grabbing more packets of cookies than she would ever need and plonking them in his arms, "do you think that will be enough?"

"Probably yeah, I think this will last you a good few months."

"Do you know what else I really want right now?" she asked, her eyes lighting up as she stared at the packet of Smores Chips Ahoy cookies that were on the top of the pile. "Marshmallows!"

"Oh god no," Robin shook his head, he felt like a parent having to stop his child from going on a sugar rush. Apparently, drunk Regina liked candy and dessert, anything sweet and she was there for it. Before he could even think to stop her, she was off again, running to another aisle. He was tempted to just leave her to it and head to the checkout but god knows what kind of trouble she could get herself into. He was pretty sure that the store was closed now as well.

With a sigh he made his way to the candy aisle, putting down a few packets of cookies on his way because he knew that there was no chance sober Regina would be eating all of them. When he reached the candy isle though Regina was nowhere to be seen which immediately alarmed him, where the hell could she have gone?

He groaned and opted to walk down the middle aisle so that he could look down each individual one and hopefully find her down one of them. He was nearly at the opposite end of the store when he stopped walking and someone knocked straight into the back of him.

"Why did you stop?" Regina's voice met his ears and he swung around to see her standing there with two boxes of lucky charms and some marshmallows.

"Seriously? How long have you been just walking behind me?"

"A while, I assumed you were looking for something, but I didn't know what, because we already have the cookies and the marshmallows. I also got these! Daniel doesn't allow them in the house because he says they are too sugary, but since he isn't living there at the moment I thought I'd get two boxes!" she gushed, looking extremely pleased with herself, "can you believe that they have marshmallows in them, Robin? I never knew that, I don't think I've ever tried them before."

"What, never?"

"Nope never, I haven't. Oh. My. God!"

Something had clearly caught her eye over his shoulder as she was staring at something behind him, he turned to try and see what it was but before he could she was speeding off again. This time he wasn't going to lose track of her, they needed to get out of the store before the security man actually came to find them.

Regina stopped abruptly, nearly making him drop everything he was carrying, she looked at a pair of pyjamas before reaching out to touch them. They weren't like anything he had ever seen her in, he was used to seeing her wear silky nighties or satin pyjamas, not casual flannel pyjamas with giraffes on them. The top had the giraffe's face on and the bottoms were animal print but printed in a pale purple colour, matching with the face.

"I need them," she breathed.

"Okay. Regina, if I get you the pyjamas can we please leave the store?" At this point, he was willing to say just about anything if it meant that he was able to get her home.

"Yes, are you really going to get them for me Robin?" she asked, looking at him with a huge smile etched on her face.

"If you want them, I'll get them."

"Thank you, I love them so much!"

Robin shook his head as he grabbed what he assumed was her size and added them to the pile of stuff in his arms. "Right, let's go then," he chuckled, turning and expecting to see Regina still stood there, only she wasn't. Instead, she was further down the aisle staring at something else. "Regina?" His eyes were drawn to the adorable baby onesie that matched the pyjamas she had chosen. "That's cute."

"I really want a baby," she whispered sadly, he glanced at her face and realised that she was crying, tears were rolling down her cheeks as she reached out and touched the soft material.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have one at some point."

"But I want one now and I just know that Daniel isn't ready for that so what am I supposed to do?"

"I..."

"Wait for my body to shrivel up and die when I could be getting pregnant whilst I'm still young enough?" Regina huffed, "I'm already starting to get old, look at the little crinkles."

"What crinkles?" Robin laughed, still looking at the little outfit on the hanger. It was a nice idea, he'd always wanted children but he was beginning to think that maybe Marian didn't. Looking at Regina though, even in her drunken broody state, he could tell that it hurt her so much to think that she would never have a child.

"I have them," she murmured, still stroking the little outfit. "How cute would this look on a tiny baby?"

"Extremely cute."

"Maybe we should just have a baby together."

Robin rose an eyebrow at her, he couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but just the thought of having a child with her somehow brought warmth to his heart. He knew it shouldn't, he shouldn't be thinking about having kids with a woman who wasn't his girlfriend but he couldn't help it. Regina was pulling on his heartstrings and making him want to promise her the world even when it wasn't his to promise. She wasn't his. "Come on, we better go pay before they kick us out."

"I'm being serious Robin! Just imagine how cute she would look in this outfit, her spiky dark hair sticking up and her blue eyes sparkling as she stared back at us," Regina cooed. "We would have adorable children."

He was imagining it and it was a bloody cute image, they would be perfect. He really needed to get the thought out of his head and move her away from the baby section before she found anymore cute little outfits. "I'm sure we would, but right now we need to go."

She nodded and went along with him solemnly, he missed the happy and sill drunk Regina. Sighing he placed all the items he had in his arms on the self-scanner and turned to look at her again, however, not for the first time that night, she seemed to have disappeared. He didn't even know how she was managing it, it was like one second she was there, and the next she just vanished like Houdini.

Rolling his eyes, he began scanning the items through and just hoped that she would find her way back to him soon, with much luck she wouldn't get lost in the store, or locked in for that matter. He was pretty sure it was past closing time, to be honest, he was surprised there wasn't a store assistant trying to hurry them up.

Just as he put the final item through, she came barrelling into him with something in her hands, "are you serious?"

"I've never tried this and the ice cream is just because," she shrugged, scanning her final two items through and placing them in the bag, looking pleased as punch with herself.

"How did I not know before tonight that you are obsessed with marshmallows?" Robin asked as he glanced at the marshmallow fluff and phish food Ben & Jerry's she had just added to their shopping before paying.

"Because I don't usually indulge so pigishly," she giggled, "but you know what? Fuck it! Fuck everything!"

"Regina," he groaned as he put his card back in his wallet and grabbed the carrier bag that was full of sweet treats and Regina's pyjamas. "Come on, before they lock the doors."

"Would they? Could you imagine being locked in the store at night?" Regina grinned, walking backwards, "would you have to pay for the stuff you ate or would it be like those apocalypse films where people take whatever the hell they want?"

"Pretty sure that's stealing, the cops won't have turned to zombies and you would probably be arrested when they found you in the morning."

"Spoilsport," she tutted, trying to route in the bag for something and weighing his arm down as they made their way down the street in the direction of Regina's house. It was too far to walk all the way but he felt that a little night air would do her some good.

"What are you trying to find?"

"My cookies."

"Well we bought plenty of them," Robin grinned, "come on, you can't tell me that you didn't find one packet of cookies whilst you were rooting around in that bag."

"I can't find my favourites, did you put some back?"

"Maybe a couple of packets, but there was no way you were eating all of them."

"Robinnnnn!" she groaned, settling on the Smores Chip Ahoy, "these will have to do then won't they."

"You are impossible. Who even are you tonight?" he asked, chuckling as he watched her bite into one of the cookies.

"I'm still me," she murmured, "this is what happens when you let me drink though."

"Pretty sure I tried to stop you from drinking."

"Whatever," she waved him off, shoving a cookie in his mouth before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Half an hour and two packets of cookies later, they were still walking along the sidewalk, at least they were walking off the cookies and hopefully the alcohol. Out of nowhere, Regina broke the silence, "Robin, I think you actually might be a Greek god reincarnated! You should be put on some pedestal or something and there would be thousands of people kneeling before your biceps," she hiccupped.

Robin had no idea where any of this was coming from, other than the fact, they had passed some kind of stone sculpture a few blocks back and ever since she'd been quiet in thought, maybe that was what prompted her thoughts about Greek gods and what not. "Okay then, you are definitely drunk," he chuckled as her step wavered, he really needed to call them a cab soon, he just wanted to try and get her to walk it off a little first.

"That day, the day of the pool party, I wanted to scream that I was sleeping with a goddamned Greek god and that Marian was just so fucking lucky to have you. God, I wanted you that day, I want you right now."

"What you need is to get home and go to bed."

"Hmm, sounds like a plan."

"To sleep, you need to sleep it off," he rolled his eyes, apparently the alcohol had banished her filter and she was literally just saying whatever she thought of without worrying about the consequences of her words. She really was on a roll tonight.

"Can you carry me," she pouted, "my feet hurt and you are really strong, like those biceps are soooo massive, do you work out? I mean you could probably pick up two of me, could you? I bet you could," she slurred, "please pick me up Robbie, please."

With a sigh, he leant down so that she could climb onto his back, it had been a long time since he had given anyone a piggyback ride so he really hoped that he'd be able to manage it, not to mention he had to juggle her and the bags he was holding. "Regina, if you throw up on me, I don't think we'll be able to be friends anymore."

"I won't throw up," she argued, hopping up onto his back. He was just glad that she was small and light, her legs wrapped around his waist whilst her arms were around his shoulders, her cheek pressed against his upper back. He was surprised that she'd managed to get on the first try, he'd half been expecting to have to pick her up off the floor. "Why are we walking?"

"I have no idea, I was trying to get you to sober up a little, but I don't think that is even possible. Can you grab my phone and call a cab?" he asked, he was trusting her to do that without messing it up and he hoped that she didn't say something embarrassing in her drunken state.

"Of course," she nodded against him, her fingers slithering into the back pocket of his jeans, cupping his ass as she grabbed his phone.

She went quiet for a moment before he heard the dial tone begin to ring, she had clearly put the phone on speaker. "Hello?"

"Daniel!"

"Regina?"

"Hi, guess what?!"

"What?"

"I'm riding Robin!" she laughed. Robin's eyes widened as he stopped walking and deposited her back onto the ground, turning to stare at her, what the actual hell was she doing. "Aww, Robin! No fair!"

"Regina," Robin groaned, trying to snatch the phone back from her, but somehow, she was too quick.

"He put me down," Regina huffed into the phone, "hi."

"Hi, Regina what's going on?"

"I sang karaoke and Robin bought me cookies," she grinned.

"Give me the phone," Robin sighed, taking it from her before turning it off speaker phone and putting it to his ear, "hey Daniel, sorry about that."

"Hey mate, what the hell is up with my girlfriend?"

"She might have had slightly too much to drink."

"Slightly?"

"Okay, way too much, but don't' worry, I'm taking care of her. She'll be fine."

"Shit man, what the hell?"

"Daniel, I…"

"Hey, bitch!" Regina hissed as she snatched the phone from his hand putting it back on speaker phone, "I'm a grown ass woman and I'll drink however the fucking much I want. Is that okay with you?"

"Did you just call me a bitch?"

"Yep," she nodded, her nose wrinkling up as she looked to Robin and back at the phone, "C'mon be a man about it you won't die," she tutted, quoting her karaoke song, before cutting him off and hanging the phone back to Robin. "Wait, was I supposed to call a cab?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

"God I really need to get you home and then probably ring your boyfriend."

"Screw him."

"Regina."

"I'm serious! He's a dickhead most of the time, maybe its time that I show him that I don't actually give a shit about what he thinks."

"I'm pretty sure this is just your drunk mind talking so I'm calling the cab."

* * *

They stumbled through the front door into her house, she was giggling about something they'd been talking about and e couldn't help but chuckle along with her, seemingly drunk Regina had a funny sense of humour, even if she was a pain in the ass to deal with. As soon as the door was closed though she jumped and moved back towards it, putting on the deadlock before turning the key. "We need to make sure that no one can get in," she murmured, her voice and expression fully serious as she stared at him, "and the security code on the alarm, we have to make sure it is turned on Robin."

He could see the fear in her eyes and it was strange because he hadn't seen it the night before, it was almost as though she had been able to hide it better when she had all of her senses and wasn't drunk. For all he knew, she had been hiding it the entire time, but right now she wasn't and she looked genuinely terrified to be in her own home. "Don't worry Gina, I'll make sure its properly secured."

"You need to check the windows."

"What?"

"Check them, Robin, make sure they are locked properly, please. The patio doors as well, we need to make sure that they are properly shut and take the key with us."

"Okay, we'll do that," he nodded, this wasn't just drunk rambling. What was happening now was 100% real. She was scared, worried that someone was going to break in after what happened and finding out about Leopold, he wasn't surprised she was acting the way she was, but he couldn't help think king that normally she suffered alone when it came to these types of things. She wasn't usually a very open person and he knew that she'd probably been having these worries ever since the break-in.

Her hand was tightly clasped in his as they went around every single window on the ground floor, finishing with the patio doors in the kitchen. Once they had finished, she let out a breath and leant against the counter, "I bet all that Ice cream has melted," she sighed, gesturing to the shopping bag that was in his hands.

He grabbed the tub and put it in the freezer, leaving the cookies in the bag before pouring a glass of water and reaching for her hand, "come on, let's get you to bed shall we."

Regina nodded, following him dutifully, stopping when he did at the bottom of the stairs as he turned on the burglar alarm before heading up to the bedroom. "Is it just my imagination or was I awful to my mother tonight?" she sighed sitting down on the bed and glancing up at him. He couldn't quite tell if she had sobered up a bit or if it was just one of her mood swings, she seemed to have them quite a lot when drinking alcohol, he couldn't count the number of times she had gone from sombre to playful and happy that night.

"You were a little mean yeah."

"Great," Regina groaned, lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling, "I'm going to have a headache tomorrow aren't I."

"Most likely," he agreed, heading off into the ensuite to grab some things so he could help her get ready for bed, before he could even apply some of the makeup remover to the flannel, her arms wrapped around his waist as Regina hugged him from behind and rested her head on his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hi," she mumbled, her fingers playing with the hem of his shirt, working their way across his abs, "what are you doing in here, I was lonely out there all on my own."

"Wandering hands missus," Robin chuckled, finding her fingers and moving them from inside his shirt, he turned around and she pressed him against the sink. God, he had been hoping that she would go to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but apparently, luck wasn't on his side and her frisky side was making a comeback.

"I just wanted to feel your muscles," she sulked, her hands finding his chest once again, whilst she was pre-occupied he took the opportunity to help her remove her makeup, carefully washing her face and making sure not to get it in her eyes. She was thoroughly distracted by his chest and if he were honest her touch was distracting him from what he was supposed to be doing.

Once the makeup was fully off his shirt nearly was also, she had it way up his body and her hands were just caressing his abs. "Having fun?"

"Hmm, I am actually," she nodded, her eyes were closed as she just allowed her fingers to move across his skin. She shuffled closer, to the point where she was literally pinning him against the sink before moving her lips to his neck.

"Okay Gina, you're drunk and this is not happening," he shook his head, moving out of her reach and handing her toothbrush to her, "do you think that you can manage to brush your teeth and do everything."

"Aww Robin, you're no fun," she groaned as she put her toothbrush in her mouth and got on with it. He grabbed his own before heading to the other bathroom to get ready for bed. He couldn't believe that she had gotten so drunk, the night had been conflicting in many ways, he still didn't know what to make of half the things she said to him.

Once he'd done everything he needed to do, he headed back to the bedroom to find Regina lying face down on the bed, half dressed and trying to kick off her jeans.

"Come here you," he groaned, grabbing her legs and trying to pull off the jeans which might as well have been painted onto her body they were that tight.

"Why Robin, what do you think you're doing?" She chuckled.

"Trying to get you ready for bed."

"Oh, boring."

"Regina seriously, just help me, you need to sleep it off."

"I am helping you, I've been trying to get them off forever and they just won't," she huffed, rolling over so that she was on her back. That was when he realised the reason her pants weren't budging.

"Seriously? You didn't undo them, Gina."

"Oh, oops."

After her pants were off and she was changed into her new pyjamas, something that had taken much longer than it ever should have, she drank the glass of water he grabbed for her before snuggling into the bed and staring up at him. "Robin, will you hold me while I go to sleep?"

"Sure," he chuckled, happy to finally be getting into bed, he slipped under the covers and allowed her to scoot into his arms, she snuggled into his embrace, her hair tickling his nose as her face pressed against his chest.

"I think I love you," she slurred, "I really do, you're so nice and thoughtful. You take care of me, Daniel doesn't do that."

"Well, someone has to take care of you, even if you think you can take care of yourself most of the time."

"I can, most of the time, but I just don't want it to be all of the time and with Daniel, that's how it is. You're not like that though Robin, you're different. You're a beautiful human being, did you know that?"

"Why thank you, you're not so bad yourself, although I think I prefer the sober version of Regina to this one, even if you are a cuddly drunk."

"I just wanted to let loose, I never do this," she whispered, "but I really do think I love you, I really, really do. I don't love Daniel."

Robin stared at her, he didn't really know what to think, she was drunk and she probably didn't even know what she was saying, he knew that he was better of taking her words with a pinch of salt. For all he knew she could be using love in a completely different sense of the world, you could still have a love for your friends, that's probably what she was referring to. "I think we can have this conversation tomorrow if you still feel the same way in the morning, which I very much doubt."

"Your dick is better too," she mumbled sleepily, her eyes falling closed, "Marian is a fool for sharing you. Her loss is my gain I suppose," Regina yawned, he could tell that she was just on the cusp of sleep and shook his head as he tightened his hold on her.

"Good night Regina."

"I think you're a beautiful, beautiful man and I…"

She didn't even finish her sentence before she fell asleep cuddled up against his side. Robin chuckled to himself and allowed his fingers to softly brush through her hair. He had a lot of things to think about, and the only thing that he knew for certain was that Regina was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.


End file.
